Cesspool breeds trouble for Arasu Colony residents

Conduit pipes clogged; many drains flow into the open ground

The problem is so acute that some of the residents in the colony have preferred to move out. Photo: A. Muralitharan

A massive pool of stagnant rainwater and sewage along the Tiruchi-Dindigul railway line is making life miserable for scores of residents of Arasu Colony near Edamalaipattipudur in the city.

Residents complain that the stagnation of rainwater and sewage has been a perennial problem over the past few years as the conduit pipes that are supposed to carry the water across the railway line to the other side towards Karumandapam have been clogged.

Many open drains flow into the vast open ground, parts of which have been converted into residential plots.

“Over the past few years, the water and sewage remain stagnant even during summer. The cesspool has become a breeding ground for mosquitoes posing severe health problems to the residents,” complain representatives of Federation of Edamalaipattipudur All Residents Welfare Association.

The problem is so acute that some of the residents in the colony have preferred to move out, they say.

“We have represented the matter to the Railways and corporation officials seeking the construction of a wider culvert to ensure the flow of water to the other side.

Railway officials have promised to do the needful when doubling works are carried out on the section. But we do not know when the culvert will be built,” says N.Azhagusubramanian, general secretary of the federation. When contacted, R.Gnanasekar, K.Abishekapuram zonal chairman, said the corporation would be willing to construct a drain if the railway authorities permitted the work.

However, the federation members insist that the corporation provide an underground sewer system at Edamalaipattipudur. The entire locality does not have underground sewer lines even though the corporation’s sewage treatment farm at Panchapur is located close by. The open drains constructed in many streets in the locality do not have proper disposal. The drains, built in bits and pieces, effectively serve no purpose, residents contend. The corporation has planned to cover the area in the next phase of underground drainage scheme, but it could take a couple of years.