The Hindu 10.03.2017
Where garbage woes pile on
Looming danger:Garbage dumped at an enclosure on Thanthoni Amman Koil
Street in Thiru. Vi. Ka. Nagar is a health risk, say residents.V.
Ganesan
Irregular clearing of trash and sewer blocks have affected quality of life
Residents of ward 67 are angry over repeated instances of sewer
blocks and garbage accumulation in many places. The ward comprises areas
such as Peravallur, Agaram, GKM Colony Main Road and Thanthoni Amman
Koil Street.
E. Balaji, who runs a shop on Thanthoni Amman Koil
Street, said garbage dumped at a site on the street is regularly
cleared, leading to foul stench and unhygienic conditions. “The mosquito
menace has become worse in this area owing to this problem. I close my
shop by 7 p.m. It is really frustrating when such problems affect your
routine life,” he added.
Devi Velayutham, another resident of the
area, said she was forced to keep the windows of her house shut
throughout the year because of the stench and mosquitoes. “It becomes
extremely suffocating during summer. Despite keeping the windows closed,
the mosquito menace is still quite bad. I don’t even let my children
play anywhere close to the dumping site fearing they will develop some
disease,” she added.
Ill-maintained park
A
portion of the park on Thanthoni Amman Koil Street is in a poor state
and desperately needs maintenance, he added. “Earlier, my son would go
there to play but not any more. The place looks haunted. While a portion
of the park is well-maintained, the other is in disrepair with the play
equipment for children all rusted,” Mr. Balaji said.
Another
issue that residents face is the constant blocking of sewer lines in
some streets. S. Shantha, a resident of Kannabiran Street, said, “Sewer
blocks occur at least three or four times every month. Filing a
complaint and getting it fixed each time is very exhausting. This is not
how it is supposed to function.”
A few streets are not very well
maintained. K. Thangammal, a resident of GKM. Colony 10th Street, said
“The road has not been laid for years now. Also, there is a small pond
close to the street which stinks and is a breeding site for mosquitoes
and flies. Residents fall sick regularly.” Even the GKM Colony Main Road
hasn’t been spruced up for quite a while now.
Officials
of the Chennai Corporation said they would soon take up work to relay
roads that have been left out. “Garbage never gets accumulated here.
Source segregation is done and it is removed every day,” an official
claimed.