Residents of Swarnamaniammal Layout, Iyer Layout, Balasundaram Layout and a host of other residential colonies in Singanallur, are worried about the next rain this North East Monsoon season.
For, every time it rains, the locality is inundated with sewage overflowing from the choked, silt-filled drain in the area.
N. Selvi, a resident of Swarnamaniammal Layout, says that the occupants of 40-odd houses in the locality have been suffering for more than a decade. Every good rain takes sewage filled with black silt into the houses.
The residents will not be able to use the floor for at least two days after the sewage recedes.
The floors stink, remain wet for a while and do not dry up as expected, mosquitoes and flies invade houses and life comes to a standstill for at least a couple of days.
In Iyer Layout and Chinna Gurusamy Layout the problem should be at least two decades old, rues D. Natarajan, a resident. He has been a resident of the area for the last 50 years. As the canal slopes towards the south, sewage from areas localities north of Avinashi Road flow through the area and finally end up in River Noyyal.
The aforementioned two layouts with nearly 70 houses suffer because they are lower than areas north of Avinashi Road and close to the canal. And, almost all houses get inundated.
Ward 62 Councillor ‘Singai’ S.Balan says that in the past – during his stint as a Councillor during 2001– 06– he facilitated the construction of concrete embankments and floor to prevent inundation. He also removed silt and shrubs from the canal then. But nothing much has happened thereafter.
After the residents’ complaint, he has presented numerous petitions to the Corporation authorities and is awaiting their action to remove silt from the canal. And the wait continues.
Official sources say that they have sanctioned money to have the canal cleaned but are waiting for the contractor to start work in the contentious one-and-half-km stretch. The work will begin soon.
