Residents requested officials to re-route the pipes Nakshatra Krishnamoorthy
CHENNAI: Pachayyapar Street at Nesappakkam is only 21-feet wide. But the residents in this congested locality fear they may be unable to use this narrow road for the next three months. The Metro Water Board is all set to dig up Pachayyapar Street to lay a pipeline through it to take the treated sewage water from the treatment plant at Koyambedu.
The residents worry they may be locked up in their homes if the road is dug up. “Approximately five feet of the street is already occupied by stormwater drains. How can a pipe with 800 mm diameter be placed on an already narrow road? If this work begins then for the next three months or so until it’s completed, we will not be able to step out of our houses,” said Elumalai N, a resident of Pachayyapar Street.
The Metro Water Board’s plan was to lay a pipeline from the Koyambedu wastewater treatment plant up to the industrial areas of Sriperumbadur and Oragadam. The work has already begun at the residential areas of Nesappakkam and KK Nagar. The project is now facing opposition from the residents. When contacted, Metro Water officials said that they have taken prior permission from Chennai Corporation, and a detailed survey was carried out in the area for assessment prior to the pipe laying work, the plan cannot be altered now.
Representatives from the Indra Nagar Welfare Association recently forwarded an e-mail to Metro Water requesting officials to stop the work at Pachayyapar Street due to its narrow width. Residents have also requested concerned authorities to re-route the pipe’s location to the adjacent KP Ponnurangam Street instead. “This street is 25 ft in width, marginally wider when compared to Pachayyapar Street, where the pipe can be comfortably laid. If they go ahead with the original plan, water and sewage pipelines present four feet underground will get damaged. As connections are inter-linked, water supply to the surrounding three streets will get disrupted,” said Kumar N, another resident.
Third Street Thiruvalluvar Salai residents said they did not get water supply for two days as water pipes were damaged due to the ongoing pipe laying work. “Metro Water officials distributed notices last week informing us about this project. Three hours after they notified us, the digging work started immediately. They did not give us ample time to express our opposition,” said 83-year-old SS Narayanan,a resident.
But, engineers who surveyed the area before commencing pipe laying work said that it was not feasible to re-route the pipe. “In KP Ponnurangam Street, stormwater drains are present on both sides and a 600 mm sewage pipe is already functional underground. If we lay the pipe here, the live sewer line connected to the main chamber will be cut. Additionally, both HT and LT electricity lines are passing through this street. Hence, it is impossible to re-route the pipe,” said an engineer from a private firm, which is carrying out the work.
On the other hand, Metro Water officials said if any water or sewage pipes were damaged in the process, they cannot go ahead with the work without fixing this. “Changing the route of the pipe will lead to unnecessary extra expenditure and as the present water and sewer lines come under our purview, great care will be taken to avoid any damages to the existing pipes,” said a senior Metro Water official.
