OMR (Old Mahabalipuram Road) in Chennai famous for its thriving IT corridors, prominent landmarks and selection of city’s finest business hotels but it is unfortunate that OMR does not have basic underground drainage and sewage management system and depends heavily on sewer tanks for transporting waste to STP centers. OMR is also home to large integrated townships which has in-house STPs built by the builders of these townships. The residents of these townships incur recurringly heavily amounts for running and maintenance of these STPs. 

How important is for the city to have underground drainage system for sustainable green environment.

Underground drainage and sewage system helps in carrying the sewers from home to the nearest pumping stations where it gets processed and the liquid remains are sent to nearby STP (sewage treatment plant) for further processing. At the STP, it undergoes chemical reactions resulting in treated water and sludge as the primary output. The sludge is used to convert into methane gas for supplying energy for the operation of the treatment plants and the treated water is released into the city’s waterbodies.

Pollution of Rivers

Not all part of Chennai is connected well to the sewage system. In these areas, sewage is collected in septic tanks which are built by individual owners/residents. The waste from these sewer tanks is then transported to the treatment plants through sewer tankers. However, there are reports of disposal of untreated sewage water released to nearby local rivers. Even areas connected with STPs, it is important to have the STPs functional and meeting the required standards before releasing the treated water into the city’s water bodies. 

It is alarming that our city waterbodies are no longer fit for any life consumption. Tamil Nadu pollution control board (TNPCB) in its water analysis report has noted that the three major water bodies – Adyar, Cooum and Buckhingam Canal is not fit for any kind of life form.

Sign this Petition demanding Implementation of UGD in faster pace:

We want the end-to-end waste management to be fully owned by the Tamil Nādu government for the entire Chennai. Leaving it to the management of individual owners/residents could result in lack of ownership and accountability, as they may not have the relevant expertise to understand the implications of releasing untreated liquids into waterbodies and the impact on the long-term sustainability of the environment. 

Tamil Nadu boasts of being one of the richest State in the Country with significant contribution to India’s GDP. We need the economic growth to translate into real development where basic needs like robust sanitation and waste management system are available and accessible to all the people in the state and only then we can be proud of our economic progress.

Though there are many schemes and projects in this space initiated by the government but the pace of completion and post implementation monitoring needs to be fast tracked due to the multifold expansion of the city as a result of economic progress.

We therefore request the Tamil Nadu Water Supply and Drainage Board (TWAD Board) and Chennai Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board take cognizance of the growing hardships faced by residents in these areas and fast track implementation of the schemes rolled out and roll out more schemes to scope in remaining areas where there is no UGD system in place.

References:

1.       Rs 700 crore spent annually as OMR residents wait in vain for piped water - Citizen Matters, Chennai 

2.       Where does Chennai’s poop go? The stinking truth (thenewsminute.com)

3.       Residents of Old Mahabalipuram Road demand underground sewage system | Chennai News - Times of India (indiatimes.com)

4.       Report_No_1_of_2018_-_Local_Bodies_Government_of_Tamil_Nadu.pdf (cag.gov.in)

5.       Sholinganallur, Karapakkam get UGD lines - The Hindu

6.       Under Ground Drainage Scheme – நகராட்சி நிர்வாகத்துறை (tn.gov.in)

7.       Tamil Nadu: No drainage, but government plans SWD on ECR | Chennai News - Times of India (indiatimes.com)

8.       It's official: Chennai's rivers are 'dead' | Chennai News - Times of India (indiatimes.com)

9. TN GSDP grew at 8.19%, faster than national average | Chennai News - Times of India (indiatimes.com)