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NT Bureau
Chennai, Aug 7:
 

Mayor M Subramanian being taken on a guided tour of Virugambakkam Canal at Chinmaya Nagar on Sunday. Also seen are Exnora founder M B Nirmal and local residents.

        Instead of waiting for central funds to clean up city waterways, the Corporation staff along with PWD officials would take up temporary works like deweeding and desilting at the Virugambakkam Canal from tomorrow (8 August) at a cost of Rs 60 lakh.

        Mayor M Subramanian, councillors and top officials of Metrowater, PWD, TNEB and State Highways were taken on a guided tour of the canal at Chinmaya Nagar on Sunday during which residents, welfare groups and Exnora Innovators Club poured out their discontent and sufferings arising due to the misuse of the flood drain as sewage dumps. Metrowater officials informed that individual notices were given to 120 households which let out sewage in the Virugambakkam canal with a one-month time to desist from their 'illegal act' of polluting the storm water drain.

        'But most of the dwellings that let out sewage in the canal through pipes have not availed the connection to the main lines of the drainage network,' Metrowater official said.

        Apart from slum encroachments on either side of the canal, the water flow was impeded by the causeway on 100 Feet Road which residents said had to raised and new pipelines laid to carry the excess water during monsoon. Interceding on behalf of the public, M B Nirmal, founder of Exnora International, said PWD has to start desilting the canal with funds expected from the State government.

        Addressing the concerns of the residents, the Mayor said while the PWD maintained five canals, the Corporation has the responsibility over 15 inland waterways. The Ministry of Local Administration had drawn up a cost estimate of Rs 700 crore for cleaning up of city waterways, including desilting and constructing bunds on the embankment, which had been sent to the Union government for the final nod. 'But it would take at least 7-8 months to get the sanction for the project. Till then, we will utilise Rs 60 lakh to be released by the State government for desilting the entire stretch of the Virugambakkam canal,' he said.

        The Mayor issued a stern warning to those who let out sewage in the canal stating that their illegal lines would be plugged off if they did not link up their sewer connections with the main pipeline carrying the drainage. 'General public have to show more concern towards civic plight of their neighbourhood. Some residents even tie up all their household waste in plastic bags, come in two-wheelers, drop them in the canal and go away with utter disregard to civic sense,' he lamented.

        A sewage treatment plant at Koyambedu was dumping its effluents and sludge in the canal, instead of letting them out in Cooum River at Arumbakkam. During monsoon, the plant through open pipelines jutting out at the canal near the main bridge on Kaliamman Koil Street used to dump continuously large volume of sewer which due to blockage remain stagnant throughout the year, complained V Malathi, a resident at Chinmaya Nagar.

        With a modest flow at Bhuvaneswari Nagar in Virugambakkam (ward-65), the canal travels a distance of 6.4 km coursing through Saligramam (ward-129), Vadapalani (ward-117) and MMDA Colony (ward-75) before joining the Cooum river on Nelson Manickam Road at Choolaimedu (wards 74 and 76). 'PWD officials cite the lack of funds for postponing the cleaning up of Virugambakkam canal. But now the State government would release the initial amount for desilting, we hope there will not be any further delay,' says

        A Paramanathan, chairman, United Resdients Welfare Association. Further, civic groups like Exnora Innovators Club have prepared detailed maps and photos of sewage blocks in the canal which were presented to the higher officials during the Mayor's visit to Chinmaya Nagar.'Exnora will impress on the officials to take up desilting for speedy flow of rain water. All encroachments have to be evicted with an iron hand for a permanent solution to the recurring problems of floods whent the canal is in spate,' avers S Punitha, president, Sayee Nagar Women's Civic Exnora.

        Centre has allotted Rs 8 crore under the National Cylcone Risk Mitigation Project (NCRMP) for reclaiming the canal with State having to contribute 25 per cent of that amount. PWD would begin desilting with State funds with the hope rest of the amount would come from the Centre on time to undertake other works that include laying of concrete bunds on both sides of the canal.