As S. Vishwanathan of Thirumullaivoyal sat in his house worrying about his locality getting flooded this monsoon, something broke his chain of thoughts. The flickering light of the candle helped him spot some objects crawling up the wall - leeches.
Apart from the flooding and the garbage that is swept into houses in the suburbs during monsoon, many localities have been complaining about snakes and leeches.
While some of them kill the reptiles, others just have learnt to live with it.
“For many years now we have been affected due to the flooding. This is because the drains have not been completed properly. Despite repeated complaints there has not been any action from authorities,” compains Mr. Vishnawanthan, secretary, Sridevi Vasihnavi Nagar Resident Welfare Association, which comes in the 13{+t}{+h}ward of Avadi Municipality. He says that all water from the Thirumullaivoyal Main Road flows into their locality. “Usually snakes come in during monsoon. This time however we are seeing the leeches. Many of them are even crawling up high walls,” he says.
“When it gets stuck on people, it is very difficult to remove them. We are frightened that it may affect children and the elderly,” he adds. Similar the situation is similar in Sivasakthi Nagar in Annanur. “During monsoon it is a big problem. They are all over the compound,” says V. Ananya, a resident.
Meanwhile in areas like Mudichur snakes have become a cause of concern apart from flooding. For the past few days residents of Royappa Nagar in Mudichur have been living in an island.
“There is no power supply for the past few days. Snakes including vipers and cobra crawl in our verandah,” says P. Patrick. The residents themselves have been killing the reptiles. “It is difficult to see them in the night,” he adds. Firemen said complaints about snakes are common in suburbs. “Usually we get calls from North Chennai and Western Suburbs,” says an official.
