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Public Health / Sanitation

Sewage still flows into river

Tuesday, 11 August 2009 08:04 administrator
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Deccan Chronicle 11.08.2009

Sewage still flows into river

August 11th, 2009
By Our Correspondent

Chennai, Aug. 10: While the PWD authorities are facing stiff resistance from the ‘high-rise’ pollutants on one side of the river, the other side is not green either.

“A few months ago, when our team went for demarcation work alo-ng the Srinivasapuram bank of the estuary, a group of locals fiercely resisted our work. They were afraid that we were there to evacuate them,” a PWD official said on condition of anonymity.

He pointed out that residents of Srinivasapuram too had been letting out their sewage into the river and need to be educated on preserving the ecology of the area.

“That effort will be a part of the larger project of restoring over 350 acres of wetland area that is expected to commence soon after the completion of the first phase,” the official added.

 

Illegal sewers block drain work

Friday, 31 July 2009 07:16 administrator
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Deccan Chronicle - Chennai 31.07.2009

Illegal sewers block drain work

July 31st, 2009
By Our Correspondent

chennai
July 30: The ongoing construction of stormwater drains by the city corporation hit a speedbreaker when corporation officials found that a large number of illegal sewer connections in the city empty the effluents into the drains thus hampering the work.

It was while desilting a storm water drainage line at Poonamalle high road that corporation officials found a private lodge was using its illegal sewer connection to drain its effluents into the lines.

“Nearly 1,700 families who reside at Dr Santhosh Nagar, adjacent to the existing storm water drain, were suffering from water logging during monsoon for the past several years, as the line was getting clogged. When the corporation was undertaking the desilting work in the area, they found out the illegal connections,” said Rukmangathan, local corporation councillor. Even after two days, the corporation is yet to take action against the violators, he added.

Local corporation officials, however, said that the problem occurred due to confusion between Chennai corporation and the metro water department.

“On enquiry, we found out that the lodge owner pays his sewerage tax correctly and that he directed the sewage to the line provided by metro water. We pointed out the mistake to the metro water department and they have promised to provide a new connection immediately. The existing lines to the storm water drain will be plugged then,” a corporation official said.

 

Cleaning of key canal in city begins

Friday, 31 July 2009 04:35 administrator
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The Hindu 31.07.2009

Cleaning of key canal in city begins

Special Correspondent

It will go on for another five days; Collector inspects the work

Photo: S. Siva Saravanan

MASSIVE TASK: Garbage, stones and silt being removed from a canal that links the Big Tank at Ukkadam with Valankulam. —

COIMBATORE: The cleaning of a key canal at Ukkadam in the city is on, in order to ensure that surplus water flows from the Big Tank to the Valankulam. These two tanks are among the eight that enable the ground water level to remain high, provided enough rainwater flows into these.

The nearly 1,000 ft canal is being rid of garbage and silt that have cut off flow from the Big Tank to the Valankulam. The cleaning is being done after complaints about a couple of weeks ago that surplus water from River Noyyal was not reaching the Valankulam.

Anguished

Siruthuli, a people’s movement for the conservation of water resources, was anguished over dry patches on the vast Valankulam despite heavy flow in the river.

Collector P. Umanath carried out an inspection of the tanks and canals along with the officials of the Public Works Department and the Coimbatore Corporation. The choked canal was identified as the main culprit and various options were examined to remove the garbage.

A Corporation engineer said on Thursday that work to clean the canal was on over the last four days. It would go on for another five days as a huge amount of garbage, plastics waste, glass bottles, stones and mud had to be removed.

Earth mover

The engineer said 40 workers of the Corporation and an earth mover were engaged in clearing the blocks. The canal was three-and-a-half feet wide and more than 15 ft deep.

The workers were manually removing the waste in the canal and wherever there was space for it, the earthmover was removing garbage, mud and stones.

One of the suggestions made during the inspection was that water cannon could be used to flush out the waste if the space was too narrow for workers to get in.

The engineer said whatever could be removed with the help of the workers would be done now. The flushing could be done after this. But, he was confident that the force of the water flowing from the Big Tank would remove the remaining small blocks.

Last Updated on Friday, 31 July 2009 04:39
 
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