East of the Coimbatore Corporation’s Amma Unavagam in Saravanampatty, in Lakshmi Nagar runs a natural drain. The Public Works Department (PWD) has constructed a check dam to store water for the benefit of the people of the area.
Once the water fills the tank created by the construction of the check dam, it flows east through the natural drain, cuts across Avinashi Road near Chinniyampalayam and lands in the Sulur Tank.
But the PWD’s objective may not be met this year, during the monsoon, as a hole has been bored into the check dam to let the sewage into the drain. Residents of Lakshmi Garden, Oscar Avenue, Anbu Nagar, Bethel Nagar and a host of other residential localities say the move to let the sewage into the drain and the breaking of the check dam has created avoidable problems for them. Aside from the immediate problems of odour and mosquitoes, the residents were worried about the long-term impact – pollution of groundwater.
The residents say that sewage flowing from the Corporation-constructed drain into a natural drain was unacceptable, more so when the civic body was supposed to protect natural drains and water bodies. They also want the Corporation and the PWD to plug the hole in the check dam and punish those behind damaging it.
United Residential Owners’ Association president M.K. Kumar says that the residents are not sure who is behind the damage to the check dam. They have raised the issue with councillor K. Jayaram (Ward 32) and also the East Zone chairman, for an early solution. Mr. Jayaram was not available for comment.
Sources in the Coimbatore Corporation say that the Corporation has no role in letting the sewage into the natural drain because the civic body is yet to provide storm water drain and underground drainage facility to the area and other parts of the city that recently merged with the Corporation. Nevertheless, the Corporation will examine the check dam and take necessary action.
The PWD officials, too, were not available for comment.
