Through most of last week, S.B. Hussain of 3 cross lane of Pensioner’s Lane at Old Washermanpet had to wade through stagnant water to enter or leave his house. He also spent a considerable amount of time mopping the floor of his house to get rid of dirty foot prints.
“The stormwater drains are overflowing and the 3 lane and 3 cross lane of Pensioner’s Lane are inundated. The drains are filled with slurry and the water is dirty,” he said. V. Saraswathi, another resident, said she had to take a detour via 4 lane to reach the main road due to the stagnant water.
Mr. Hussain said the stagnant water had turned into a breeding ground for mosquitoes. School children also had a tough time walking, added Abdul Haleem, another resident.
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“Chennai Metro Rail is carrying out tunnel boring works in Washermanpet area. They are pumping out water into the drains and it is filled with slurry. They regularly remove the slurry. However, over the last few days, the water has been flowing onto the roads,” he claimed.
Chennai Corporation officials confirmed that metro rail was using the stormwater drains to pump out water. “Whenever the slurry blocked the drains, they clear it. The water overflow might have been caused due to a block in the drains,” he said.
An official of Chennai Metro Rail however said the area was away from their work site and the problem might be due to a leakage in the drain. “We have sent our team for inspecting the area,” he said.
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