Open channels and drains in the city continue to be vulnerable to dumping of sewage by private lorries, say residents in various parts of the city.
Residents of Nolambur and areas along the East Coast Road complained lorry drivers find it easy to empty the raw sewage into open channels and portions of Buckingham Canal along East Coast Road.
Tankers collect raw sewage from localities that are yet to be covered with sewerage networks. But some of them often release the sewage into the drains to avoid paying a fee to detank in Chennai Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (CMWSSB) facilities, they said.
S. Balaji, a resident of Nolambur, said private lorries dump the raw sewage in stormwater drains along service lanes off the Bypass. These drains carry the sewage to the Cooum near Maduravoyal.
“I see at least one tanker releasing sewage into the drain along the service lane daily either in Nolambur or on the opposite side leading to Ambattur Industrial Estate. Work is in progress to cover a portion of the SWD with concrete slabs. Steps must be taken to cover the stormwater drain network to prevent such practices that pose a health risk,” he said.
Although such illegal draining of sewage in Buckingham Canal has reduced, residents said it still continued in some areas such as Sholinganallur, Palavakkam and Neelankarai.
P. Sureshkumar, a resident of Sholinganallur, said the access to Buckingham Canal through roads linking parts of Rajiv Gandhi Salai has been blocked now. However, a few lorries reach the Buckingham Canal through a service road near Iskcon temple along the East Coast Road (ECR). The local residents demand stringent steps to prevent pollution of channels.
Surveillance to be stepped up
CMWSSB officials said the surveillance would be intensified to curb private lorries from polluting the water channels. Area engineers would do surprise checks at night. A nominal fee is collected from private tankers for decanting in sewage pumping stations or treatment plants.
The water board is in the process of starting to use its own fleet of sewage lorries in merged areas. “We will lodge police complaints and write to the RTO offices concerned to cancel the permit of lorries that were seized,” said an official.
