The Hindu 11.11.2009
Water stagnation perennial problem at Ezhil Nagar
Priti Narayan
— Photo : T. Singaravelou
The low-level canal in Ezhil Nagar, which residents say is the reason for severe water-logging problems in the area.
PUDUCHERRY: The recent rains have brought into focus a civic problem that has come up every monsoon season but has not been addressed effectively yet. Residents of Ezhil Nagar say that every year, water has been entering their homes during monsoon, because of the low-level main canal in the area.
“Water from Lawspet, Karuvadikuppam and many parts of town drains into this canal, which is perhaps more than it can handle,” says Meenakshi, a resident of the area for many years. “The canal is on a low-level and very shallow. It also gets clogged often with garbage. As a result, water doesn’t drain off our roads,” she says.
Even though the canal is desilted during the monsoons, there is no respite for the residents.
“Last weekend, when the rain was at its worst, there was knee-deep water on the road,” says Navin, another resident.
The roads are also in low-level, which results in water entering households every monsoon, causing hardship to the residents. “Our houses are built considerably above the height of the roadside drains. What else can we do? Water even entered the ration shops this year and destroyed several bags of rice and sugar,” says another resident.
Unless the height of the canal and the roads is not increased, this problem will continue to exist, residents believe. Meenakshi says that although an initiative to raise the height of the canal was taken a few years back, it did not materialise.
Another problem in Ezhil Nagar and many parts of the nearby Suryagandhi Nagar is the lack of proper roads. The roads dotted with numerous potholes are a major breeding ground for mosquitoes in the rainy season.
The ‘kuchcha’ roads also get slushy and slippery for people to use, residents complain.
Officials of the Public Works Department said that the department was in the process of preparing a detailed project report to improve all the 19 town canals under its purview, as part of the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM). Officials of the Oulgaret Municipality said that they are currently arranging for funds to address the problem of bad roads in the area.
