Chennai Metrowater receives nearly 700 complaints daily pertaining to sewage blocks or overflow. As part of its measures to reduce such problems, Metrowater will conduct an intensive drive to identify commercial establishments that lack diaphragm chambers for filtering solid waste from sewage.
Currently, nearly 60 cubic metre of silt and solid waste is being removed daily from the sewerage network. Dumping of solid waste into manholes is cited as one of the reasons for clogged sewer lines.
Residents of Vadapalani complained that sewage overflow on Arcot Road was a perennial problem. Besides posing a health hazard, sewage stagnation for many days also meant less space for use on the carriageway. Claiming that commercial establishments along the road contributed to frequent blocks, they demanded stringent action to prevent such problems.
Nearly 2,300 commercial buildings, including hotels, marriage halls and cattle sheds in the city have diaphragm chambers. However, maintenance of the chambers was an issue. The chambers act as filters and prevent solid waste from entering the network. The water agency had also served notices to 10,000 residential buildings to fix gratings in their internal sewer system. Installation of such chambers or gratings had been made mandatory for applicants for new connections. Of the nearly 2,000 applicants seeking water and sewer connections every month, almost 600 are commercial establishments.
At present, sewage related complaints at the depot office level reduced to 5 from 8 daily, which officials attribute to the drive to install diaphragm chambers. However, a proper monitoring mechanism could not be put in place owing to priority given to other needs following the expansion of the city and manpower shortage. Metrowater also plans to start identifying large buildings and commercial establishments that have not installed such structures in the extended areas of the Chennai Corporation. Among the merged areas Valasaravakkam, Alandur and parts of Ambattur have been connected to the sewerage network.
M.Ravi, honorary president of the Tamil Nadu Hotels Association, said nearly 20,000 hotels in and around the city have installed the structures. Small eateries and roadside shops mainly contributed to sewage blocks.
Officials said many of the roadside shops did not have connections. Plans are afoot to start a survey of such small commercial establishments to monitor them. Those eateries and shops found dumping solid waste in manholes were severely warned.
