Pozhichalur cries for a sewage network

CHENNAI: More than 30,000 residents in

Pozhichalur

, located around 24km from the city, are at risk of health hazards posed by polluted

ponds

in the area. With no proper sewerage system, illegal connections drain sewage into ponds and on to the streets, creating breeding grounds for mosquitoes.


A village panchayat in Kancheepuram, Pozhichalur has close to 10,000 houses. Though metrowater mooted a proposal 10 years ago to provide sewerage connections, the plan has since been abandoned. Instead the panchayat has been urging residents to build soak pits.

“Most of us have soak pits that are cleaned once in 10 days to six months by private trucks. Sewage lines were recently laid in a part of Cowl Bazaar, I don’t see the difficulty in providing us the same facility. We have been pleading for years now,” said

Sindhu Kumaran

, a resident. Some residents argue that in a burgeoning suburb, sewerage lines are a necessity and soak pits are expensive to maintain.

Previously used for washing and bathing, a pond adjoining a temple in Kalliamman Nagar is now reduced to a drainage pit. Illegal sewage lines from households drain into the water body and the neighbourhood suffers because of the stench and mosquitoes. “There is no trace of the pond on Kaliamman Koil Street which has turned into a

dump yard

. Sewage flows onto the streets and into the adjoining land,” said Kalpana Sivakumar of JJ Nagar.

According to a 2006-07 policy note of municipal administration and water supply department, a report was to be made about providing sewerage facilities to municipalities’ town and village panchayats, including Pozhichalur. “When we raised the issue, we were told the state had decided not to have sewage networks in village panchayats. The residents were told to use the soak pit system, although not many houses follow that,” said Shankaran, panchayat secretary. The block development officer Venkat Raghavan said notices had been issued to residents. “I hope to discuss this issue with the MLA. It would also be helpful if residents took a signed petition to him. We requested residents to use soak pits, if they violate, we will have to take action.”

A metrowater official said they did not have plans to provide sewage connections. “The panchayat should approach us, only then can we start planning.” Both residents and authorities are to blame, believes Arun Krishnamurthy, an environmental activist. “We need to have a plan to integrate citizen participation towards conserving water bodies. Civic sensitisation followed by a strict vigil to maintain rules is the need of the hour.”