For over a month now, residents and industrial unit owners in Korattur are concerned about inundation — but it’s of sewage rather than flood water.
With the imminent monsoon, they are afraid of large scale contamination of groundwater and the resulting sanitation issues.
The Ambattur lake and minor canals passing through Korattur carry more sewage than their capacity, as a portion of the canal along North Avenue has been blocked to widen and concrete the canal.
The slow progress has led to other canals in Korattur overflowing with industrial effluent and sewage.
Viqhar Ahmed, who runs an industrial unit in Ambattur, complained that the canal running close to Aavin Dairy Road was overflowing with sewage, as its natural path had been blocked.
“I already have sewage seeping into my unit premises. If left unattended, the road and its bylanes will be flooded with sewage overflowing from the canal even after a light spell,” he said.
The Korattur lake, which is being developed as an eco-tourism spot, faces the threat of pollution.
D. Sreedhar Raj, a resident of Elliamman Nagar, said, “We plugged the inlets to the Korattur lake to prevent the release of industrial effluent. Sewage and industrial effluent from Ambattur flow into the canal through Korattur and join the Otteri Nullah. But now, with the canal blocked for improvement work, there is no way for it to flow.”
Demand for shutters
Residents demand that shutters be provided at the point where the canal from Korattur joins the lake to allow only flood water release into the waterbody. They also want sewage to be directed through an alternative route, until the work is completed.
J. Gopalakrishnan, the president of Federation of Korattur Residents Welfare Association, complained that Chennai Corporation started work six months ago to concrete the 800-metre North Avenue canal at a cost of nearly Rs. 10 crore.
The work is slow-paced because of the lack of manpower and this has been leading to health hazards, he said.
Officials of the Water Resources Department said desilting the surplus courses of waterbodies in Korattur and Ambattur is proving to be difficult as they carry more sewage.
“The canal flow has been blocked at several points. We have informed Corporation authorities about the issue. We have suggested to form a loop line within the canal to divert the sewage and to allow work to be carried out in portions,” an official said.
