Pallavaram municipality is dumping raw sewage into lake again: Residents

Pallavaram municipality is dumping raw sewage into lake again: Residents

Komal.Gautham@timesgroup.com

Chennai:10.02.2021 

Even as a case is pending before the National Green Tribunal, activists of Kovilambakkam panchayat union caught on camera the Pallavaram municipality discharging raw untreated sewage into the Keelkatalai lake surplus channel from the Keelkatalai sewage pumping station.

Two large hoses were laid out for to transfer the raw sewage and the dumping has been on for more than a month, the union said, adding that a complaint has been registered with the CM cell and with concerned authorities. Putheri lake in Pallavaram municipality flows into the Keelkattalai lake and the channel then enters Kovilambakkam and ends at Pallikaranai.

“Openings have been made at several points along the canal to discharge sewage. We have taken photos, videos with GPS with date and time stamp and intend to submit to the NGT in the ongoing pollution case of the Kovilambakkam canal. We will demand compensation for the pollution as per the Supreme Court orders,” said J Sankar, coordinator of Federation of Sunnambu Kolathur Residents Welfare Associations. “Despite no rainfall for more than a month, the canal is brimming due to huge sewage inflow from the municipality and it can be inspected at anytime. We demand immediate stoppage of this illegal act and penal action on the erring officials.”

Poor maintenance of pumps, failure of power backup facilities, pipeline breakage are the main reasons behind the dumping, residents said. The NGT had taken up the case suo moto after a TOI report in January and sought a report from the authorities. However, there was a delay in submission and the panel was asked to submit the report this month.

The Pallavaram municipality filed an affidavit saying that there was no discharge from the municipality. Municipality commissioner C Mathivanan told TOI that all 70,000 households have underground drainage connections. “There is no way any sewage is illegally being pumped. Moreover, if there is some sewage, it is the water that is overflowing through manholes and getting mixed with the storm water drain,” he said.

At Kovilambakkam panchayat, residents said there was no sewage discharge into the lake as they used septic tanks and soak pits. The PWD, which owns the canal, remains a mute spectator.

CAUGHT ON CAMERA: A screengrab from a video shot by residents shows the discharge of raw sewage into Keelkatalai lake surplus channel