The Hindu      10.03.2017  

Where garbage woes pile on

Looming danger:Garbage dumped at an enclosure on Thanthoni Amman Koil Street in Thiru. Vi. Ka. Nagar is a health risk, say residents.V. Ganesan  

Irregular clearing of trash and sewer blocks have affected quality of life

Residents of ward 67 are angry over repeated instances of sewer blocks and garbage accumulation in many places. The ward comprises areas such as Peravallur, Agaram, GKM Colony Main Road and Thanthoni Amman Koil Street.

E. Balaji, who runs a shop on Thanthoni Amman Koil Street, said garbage dumped at a site on the street is regularly cleared, leading to foul stench and unhygienic conditions. “The mosquito menace has become worse in this area owing to this problem. I close my shop by 7 p.m. It is really frustrating when such problems affect your routine life,” he added.

Devi Velayutham, another resident of the area, said she was forced to keep the windows of her house shut throughout the year because of the stench and mosquitoes. “It becomes extremely suffocating during summer. Despite keeping the windows closed, the mosquito menace is still quite bad. I don’t even let my children play anywhere close to the dumping site fearing they will develop some disease,” she added.

Ill-maintained park

A portion of the park on Thanthoni Amman Koil Street is in a poor state and desperately needs maintenance, he added. “Earlier, my son would go there to play but not any more. The place looks haunted. While a portion of the park is well-maintained, the other is in disrepair with the play equipment for children all rusted,” Mr. Balaji said.

Another issue that residents face is the constant blocking of sewer lines in some streets. S. Shantha, a resident of Kannabiran Street, said, “Sewer blocks occur at least three or four times every month. Filing a complaint and getting it fixed each time is very exhausting. This is not how it is supposed to function.”

A few streets are not very well maintained. K. Thangammal, a resident of GKM. Colony 10th Street, said “The road has not been laid for years now. Also, there is a small pond close to the street which stinks and is a breeding site for mosquitoes and flies. Residents fall sick regularly.” Even the GKM Colony Main Road hasn’t been spruced up for quite a while now.

Officials of the Chennai Corporation said they would soon take up work to relay roads that have been left out. “Garbage never gets accumulated here. Source segregation is done and it is removed every day,” an official claimed.