'Complete Chitlapakkam lake restoration work to prevent water stagnation': Residents
The residents urged authorities to complete the water-body restoration project at the earliest to prevent inundations even during intermittent spells.
Plastic waste, garbage blocks SWD
CHENNAI: Residents of Chitlapakkam raised concerns that the incomplete peripheral drains that carry legacy waste into the storm water drains (SWD) have caused blockage, which led to flooding in the residential areas during the monsoon.
They urge authorities to complete the water-body restoration project at the earliest to prevent inundations even during intermittent spells.
Funding of Rs 25 crore has been allocated for the eco-restoration of Chitlapakkam lake. This includes the creation of a peripheral drain to carry untreated sewage discharged from the residential areas and send to nearest sewage treatment plant. But the concerned department has yet to commence the work, lament activists in the area.
“The overall lake revival has been going on for 4 years. The plastic waste has not been cleaned for a while. It slips away and enters into the SWD which causes blockage and leads to water stagnation. These are all budgeted and dragging it for a long time,” said Sunil Jayaram, a resident and civic activist of Chitlapakkam.
As the drains are not cleaned, plastic waste in the water body clogs the SWD. “Each time it rains, even a little bit, water stagnates for days. On Saturday night, rainfall led to water-logging that lasted for hours,” he rued.
Residents fumed over the lackadaisical nature of authorities of the Water Resources Department (WRD) and Tambaram Corporation who have been squabbling over interdepartmental issues instead of completing the work. Many residents let sewage illegally into the drains. Authorities denied it and have filed false affidavit that there was no illegal discharged into SWDs.
“The area does not have an underground drainage system which is the main reason for residents to let untreated sewage into SWDs. The water body has been polluted due to lack of maintenance by the civic body. Though multiple complaints have been raised to both WRD and the Corporation, there has been no permanent solution,” lamented, a resident of Chitlapakkam.
When contacted, a senior WRD official stated that retaining walls were constructed in peripheral drains, and that the department has been cleaning the waste in Chitlapakkam Lake regularly. “Residents continue to pollute the water body and it’s difficult to dispose of them. But the restoration is expected to be completed soon,” he added.
