Citizen Connect: Cut-and-cover drain work blocks 865-metre stretch, residents complain of slow progress

The area that was severely flooded during 2015 floods, due to poor maintenance of the drainage system, suffers from water stagnation during northeast monsoon every year.

“After visiting the residential areas, officials gave directions to construct cut-and-cover drains to avoid similar problems in the future. Though the work should be completed by September, the work is progressing at a snail’s pace. This will lead to further problems for the residents,” said P Viswanathan, president of Chitlapakkam Residents Welfare Association.

Many residents complained that stagnant water in the locality leads to mosquito breeding and various vector-borne diseases. Some people even dump waste in the drains, making the area unhygienic. This will also cause mosquito breeding.

“The ongoing work has also disrupted daily commuters over a stretch of 865 metres in the locality, and so far only 100 meters of the work has been completed. Some of the residents are not able to move their vehicles,” said another resident Raghu Kumar. The residents said that the northeast monsoon leads to inundation and damages to properties with water riding up to five feet.

“If the authorities allot more teams to continue the work, it will help complete the work within a month’s time. The officials have visited the site and we hope that our issue is considered. There are about three teams working on the drains currently,” said Naveen A, a resident of Chitlapakkam.

When contacted, Chitlapakkam town panchayat officials and the district officers said that the cut-and-cover drain work at Chitlapakkam will be completed within the stipulated time and more teams will be assigned if the need arises.