Four years after the launch of the underground drainage (UGD) scheme, the Krishnagiri Municipality is woefully short of its targeted coverage, disincentivising even those who have complied in advance. As on date, only a fraction of the households are connected to the central drainage line.
The sewage treatment plant has a targeted capacity of 9 mld (million litres a day). This envisions 100 % coverage of all the households -- 16,686 connections. However, only a third of the total targeted households have been linked to the central sewerage of the project.
Design revised
The UGD design for households has undergone revisions since inception, with part of the household connections suffering a design flaw. Connections that were established in the early stages of Phase I had envisioned draining of sludge into the UGD manholes, while the other household waste water -- from kitchen and bathroom-- continued to be drained into the storm water drain. The design flaw was rectified only from the subsequent connections to ensure that all types of liquid waste went into the UGD.
Abysmal compliance has left people who have complied an anguished lot. “In a street where many households have complied by linking to the UGD, a few refusing to link would mean that open drains remained,” says K.Youvaraj, president of Krishnagiri Civil Engineers Association. The blame squarely lay on the municipality, he says.
Mr. Youvaraj has been proposing bio-septic tanks – a non-corrosive, fibre reinforced, three-compartment tanks with biodegration of the sludge that can be recycled as manure. Such houses are certified as green buildings. New buildings can consider this option, but until such time, UGD is the way out, he says.
Ashok Anand, a lawyer, has been bearing the brunt of poor linkage in his street in Co-operative Colony. Located in the market place, with heavy concentration of commercial buildings, two UGD linkages in his house have made little difference. During the monsoons, sewage overflows into the porch of his house, as garbage clogs the drainage. Only total UGD coverage will ensure that other than rainwater nothing else gets into the storm water drains, he says.
Non-compliance is attributed to poor monitoring by the local body. Many households continue to have septic tanks, indicating no septage clearance and management as mandated under the Tamil Nadu Sludge Management Rules, 2014, under the directive of the Madras High Court.
The court directions were issued coinciding with the UGD project proposals for the local bodies in the State. The local bodies were mandated to conduct door-to-door inspections to check the status of the septic tanks and enforce migration to the UGD.
Adding to the violations, many landlords have passed on to tenants the cost of UGD connections. Speaking to The Hindu, a senior official with the municipality acknowledged the poor compliance. “Landlords are weary of spending and this has hit the efficacy of the project,” the official said.
A helpline is being proposed to help with queries related to household connections, the official said.