Tamil Nadu: Tankers continue to dump sewage into Cooum river

CHENNAI: Sewage collected from Ambattur, Vanagaram and Adayalampattu areas in trucks and discharged into Cooum river through stormwater drains is a common sight near Maduravoyal flyover. Such a violation is draining efforts of river restoration work by the government.
An official from Chennai River Restoration Trust (CRRT) said they regularly receive complaints from residents who send photographs of trucks dumping untreated sewage into the stormwater drain network and causeways. The CRRT had identified causeways, Tiruverkadu, Adayalampattu and Maduravoyal where sewage was being let out. Metrowater had planned a mini treatment plant on the banks of the Cooum near Maduravoyal flyover. However, this idea was changed and now the location of the treatment plant has been shifted elsewhere, said the official.
A Metrowater official said to check release of sewage by trucks, closed circuit television cameras (CCTV) were fixed at strategic locations. Monitoring of the CCTV camera footage was entrusted to local civic authorities. Soon after the cameras were installed the monitoring was done properly, but slowly it stopped. Now, there is no one to stop or check these violations, the official said.
Another official said Metrowater is yet to start work on Illam Thorum Inaippu, the scheme that will provide sewage connections to households in extended areas. Once this work is completed the sewage from these areas will be collected and sent to the nearby treatment plant. “At present residents in these areas are dependent on the tankers to collect sewage from the chambers built in the houses. If the tankers are not there then it will become a major issue,” the official said.
A Metrowater official said the sewage tankers are operated by political party cadres. Once the underground sewage system is launched in these areas, then automatically the tanker lorry operations will be stopped. “Till then the local body authorities and police have to keep a vigil on the movement of these tankers. They have to seize vehicles that are found to release untreated sewage into the storm water drains or causeways. Only active monitoring by these two agencies will help in reducing this menace,” he said.