In 2013, 36 separate online complaints of sewage overflow were made by residents of Velayudam Street, Nungambakkam, to the Metrowater board.
Some were attended to, but most remained ignored. In 2014, residents decided that they cannot get the issue sorted out individually. They decided to form a team. Thus Velayudam Residents Welfare Association came into existence.
“We had a common problem, which we were trying to sort out individually. But, it was not working out. So we united as a team,” says Dr. Priya Ramnath, who initiated the idea. Two years on, the issue of sewage overflow is still far from being addressed, but at least their grievances are being heard by the authorities concerned.
For Velayudam Street, the problem of sewage overflow is not new. It started way back in the 80s.
“Every now and then, the manholes would overflow and the entire street would be flooded with sewage. After a tough fight, we got the old sewage line replaced with a new one. But this has not helped,” says Ramaswamy, a member of the Association.
The problem is due to the presence of a number of eateries near the street. “Most of these hotels don’t follow a proper waste disposal practice. They wash their utensils on the road and dump the leftovers in the broken manhole, which leads to clogging of the drain and the overflow,” they say.
The Association has given numerous representations to both the Metrowater and the Greater Chennai Corporation, but they are only receiving temporary relief.
“Every two weeks, there is an overflow. When we complain, workers come and de-silt the drain. Then a few days later, the problem resurfaces. We want a permanent solution,” says T. Shanmugavel.
Another problem that residents face is that the street is in the border section between two wards (110 and 113).
“Every time we make a complaint, the authorities pass the buck to the other ward,” he adds.
Residents say sewage connections from adjoining Subbarayan Nagar and a portion of the Nungambakkam High Road Road run through their street. “Maybe, the load is more than what the pipe can take. The authorities could at least give us a separate line,” they say.
