Sewage overflowing for over a week rankles Madipakkam residents

CHENNAI: It stinks. There’s no other way to describe the foul odour that permeates Ramalinga Nagar, first extension, in Madipakkam.

Residents of the neighbourhood have been living with the sewage overflow from a manhole for months, but the situation worsened in the last one week, as the sewer reverses into the houses.

Though the Metro Water board has commenced work to identify the cause of sewage overflow and backflow, residents fume over the slow pace of work by the workers, and their lackadaisical attitude in answering genuine queries about a deadline.

“The drainage water has been overflowing from the manhole for over a week. When complaints were raised, the Metro Water board dug up the road to find out the cause for the overflow. After that, there’s nothing. There has been no action taken by the department and we’re tired of reaching out to the concerned authority,” complained Prof Sangeetha Rajeesh, a long-time resident of the neighbourhood.

After the Metro Water board dug up the road to find out the cause for the overflow, the situation worsened. Sewage gushes out from other potholes and manholes, and now, it has started reversing into homes, which pose serious health risks for residents.

“Despite paying tax for drinking and sewerage connections, there is no relief. Sanitation has gone for a toss,” fumed another resident.

“The department should use heavy machinery to remove the stagnated water and rectify the issue. But, it has been carried out at a slow pace, forcing us to reside in a substandard living condition where the sewer smell hits you all day. After the recent intermittent rainfall in the city, the situation has worsened.”

Residents complained to the assistant engineer of Ward 186 with Chennai Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board multiple times, but there has been no response. Fed-up with official inaction, residents have asked a senior IAS official for resolution.