Urban News

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.