The Hindu 21.08.2010
Residents complain of water contamination
Vasudha Venugopal
— Photo: V.Ganesan 
The cause: Water stagnation due to the ongoing construction of the stormwater drain by the Chennai Corporation on Venkatanarayana Road, T. Nagar, on Friday.
CHENNAI: As many as 200 residents of Soundarajan Street of T. Nagar complained of acute water contamination on Friday. They alleged that water from the construction site of stormwater drain on Venkatanarayana Road, where Chennai Corporation is currently working, has not only seeped into drinking water pipes, but has also mixed with the water in their sumps.
“The digging has been going on for a month now, and the quality of water has been deteriorating since then,” said K. Natarajan, a resident of the area. The Metrowater officials inspected the water in the morning and found it unfit for use, but they should have alerted the residents, he added.
The residents complained that pedestrians and motorists found it hard to use the road. The barricades have been installed just a week before after a lot of complaints, a resident said.
A similar problem existed in the neighbouring area, namely Thomas Street, with around 100 flats, where residents complained of action not being taken for a week. “The only response we got was that the replacing of the broken pipeline had been postponed due to the rain, said N Balasubramanium, a resident of Nithya Homes.
Officials at Metrowater said they were in the process of replacing the sewage pipelines that have been damaged. “We are aware of the complaints and action will be taken soon,” he said.
