The Hindu 01.02.2010
Sewage overflow poses health hazards to city residents
Staff Reporter
| People complain about lack of proper drainage system in the area |
Photo: E. Lakshmi Narayanan 
Neglected: Stagnated waste water at Oondhapillai Kadu in Salem city causes much inconvenience to people. —
SALEM: The problem of sewage overflow and contamination of drinking water poses health hazards in many residential colonies in Ward 37 in the city.
Complaint
A majority of the residents in the ward complain about the lack of proper drainage system in their areas.
Sewage overflow is a recurring woe to residents in the ward.
“It is very common to see sewage getting stagnated on the roads and streets in many colonies. The stagnated sewage serves as a fertile breeding ground for mosquitoes. The mosquito menace has increased to alarming proportions in our colony,” residents of Oonthapillai Kadu complain.
Besides having to endure stagnant pools, residents also suffer when sewage mixes with drinking water stored in sumps.
“Many households in the ward have sumps to store drinking water. During monsoon, sewage mixed with rainwater overflows from almost all the drainage channels and enters into the sumps,” people point out.
Residents have made repeated representations asking the Salem Corporation officials to improve the sewerage network.
“No fruitful efforts have been made to sort out our issues. We continue to live in miserable conditions,” residents say.
Plans
Responding to the complaints, Corporation officials said there were plants to improve the drainage system in the ward.
