Cleaning channels in many parts of the city has been halted during summer, according to a senior official from the Engineering Department of the City Corporation.
Residents, particularly those in added areas, say that without proper underground drainage in the added wards, storm water drains are the worst affected ones. They pose a threat to public health. Unless the local body takes initiative, the monsoon will turn the situation worse.
K. Muthumani of Selvi Nagar in Kannanendhal (ward 25) says that he does not recollect a time when the storm water drain in his area was clean. He says that regulatory authorities rarely visit wards like Kannanendhal which were formerly village panchayats. “It is a classic case of ‘out of sight, out of mind’ for officials. It has been seven years since I began doing laundry near the drain. Every year, there has been a proportionate rise in the number of plastic bags and mosquitoes. The stench has grown stronger. There is active flow of sewage here,” he adds.
Another resident A. Veni from Kannan Colony in Chintamani (ward 58) says she remembers when the the Kiruthumal river flowed freely through the ward providing water for irrigation. “With rising population along important water bodies, people began misusing the river. We lost all the good water. Now sewage and dirt flow through our ward. Unless an effective desilting process is in place, the water will remain dirty. Madurai will be a Smart City only for namesake,” says this teacher. She adds that her area saw at least 10 cases of dengue fever in 2017. “Most people in my ward do not go far for work. They work at pappad companies and rice mills. The tiny units usually function from homes. They are located close to storm water drains. Women are easily susceptible to illness,” she added.
Other areas like Keeraithurai, Tahsildar Nagar, Ellis Nagar and even wards like Palanganatham, S.S. Colony and Arasaradi face the brunt of dirty channels. In the last one year, channels and storm water drains including parts of Kiruthumal river, Chintamani, Panaiyur, Anuppanadi and West Ponnagaram channels have been cleaned. A senior official from Zone 2 said that efforts had been taken by the Commissioner S. Aneesh Sekhar to arrest flow of sewage into the Vaigai. When asked about the steady flow of sewage into the river on Wednesday, he blamed it on a leak.
However, residents say that the efforts taken must be continuous. “The corporation must allocate funds to place CCTV cameras and monitor those dumping waste. Unless there is a consistent effort by the local body, people will not mind paying fine. Officials too cannot expect rapid change in people’s behaviour. They must educate them,” says a former Chief Engineer from the Public Works Department.
When The Hindu contacted the Corporation, an official stated that a detailed project report has been prepared to receive a sanction for fencing channels under the Swachh Bharat Mission. However, government approval is pending. He said that the cleaning will be renewed ahead of the monsoon. But no work is being undertaken.