Clogged drains leave Chromepet flooded

Conservancy work hit as civic staff sent to Kanchi temple

Chennai: Pedestrians wade across a flooded street during unseasonal rainfall, in Chennai, Tuesday, July 23, 2019. (PTI Photo/R Senthil Kumar) (PTI7_23_2019_000209A)

Residents in several parts of Chromepet are complaining that routine work such as garbage clearance and cleaning of stormwater drains has not happened in the past week.

While the city and suburbs experienced heavy rain on Thursday night bringing joy to residents, residents of New Colony were faced with flooded streets because of the absence of municipal workers to clear stormwater drains.

E.T.S. Parthasarathy, a resident of 14th Street, New Colony, said his house was flooded with rainwater mixed with sewage overflowing from the stormwater drain system. He alleged that the stormwater drain on the street had not been cleaned regularly and the rain only compounded matters. He said workers of the Pallavaram Municipality were unavailable when contacted on Friday.

V. Santhanam, president, Chromepet New Colony Residents Welfare Association, said the heavy rain which lashed the area on Thursday night had caused flooding of 12th, 13th, 14th and 16th streets because stormwater drains had blockages in them.

Temple festival

He added that when the municipality officials were contacted, they said a large number of sanitation workers had been deputed to the Sri Devarajaswamy temple in Kancheepuram district for the Athi Varadar festival. Some had also been sent to a temple festival in Tiruttani.

A senior official of Pallavaram Municipality said though officials and sanitary workers had been deputed to manage crowds at the two temples, routine conservancy work was being carried out without any complaints. He said steps would be taken to clean the stormwater drains on Saturday.