Chennai city, the epicenter of development and a blooming economy of South India is also sadly a site of gross open drainages along side beautiful tourist attractions and sophisticated residential complexes.
The open drainage located in the Tansi nagar, Velachery, is highly polluted and a gross sight that makes the residence and the floating population cringe with its unbearable stench, which further worsens with few centimeters of rain. The drain has not been cleaned for ages and people are further polluting it by throwing more wastes mindlessly that clogs the drainage, thus making it even less efficient during floods and rains.
When the construction of the drainage got over, it was maintained well and functioned effectively for the first few years, especially during the 2011 hurricane. Even though it was on the main road, which had few small shops at that time, the drainage was bordered with proper fences, so that the traffic and the vehicles on the road were not affected and Garbage was not dumped into the drainage as there was big dustbins at every corner of the road but there were small plants growing inside the drainage as it was open. People in the past were less exposed to bad odour and infections as the drainage was not as polluted.
Now, the Velachery drainage, which is open and located on the main road, is used a garbage dump by lots of people from shopping centers, construction sites, apartments, houses and even by sanitary workers, so it is clogged with garbage. Untreated garbage has led to a stinking and foul smell over the area. Since 2011 many new big shopping centers and apartments have come up, therefore the main road is jam packed with traffic at all times of the day. Vehicles and people walking on this main road are affected as the drainage is bordered with broken fences and people around that area are exposed to bad odor, infection that may lead to diseases due to the unsafe and dirty surroundings. Since it is open, it has become a conductive breeding ground for mosquitoes, flies, rodents, insects and other diseases carrying vectors. Stray animals are have become prey by falling into the open ditches.
If action is not taken in view of the adverse impacts it has on the environment and the health of people living in the area, it is only expected that the situation will become much worse considering the type of fast development that is happening in Velachery. The open drainage will become a public health and environmental threat. The overflowing drainage during rains will contaminate the ground and surface water with consequent epidemics and diarrhoeal diseases. Also the unpleasant aesthetic look of the area will bring down the value of the properties in the area and make the area an unpopular area for shopping or residential living.
The various stakeholders affected by this problem are Authorities of the corporation of Chennai, residents of Velachery, tourists/visitors, shopkeepers/shop owners, property owners, sanitary workers, transport authorities and businesses.
With heavy rains through most part of the year in Portland, USA (which is well developed country with a better infrastructure), the city faced problems with overflowing drains at homes, roads and storm water entering homes during heavy storms. The city had to a develop a new plan and design to manage the situation in a cost effective way.
The new approach was to expand the capacity of the sewer system through the use of what’s called “storage conduits” — large concrete sections that will greatly increase the amount of water and waste the system can hold.
It was also planned to separate the storm water and sanitary pipes as mixing them was an overload for the city sewer and also a public health issue during heavy monsoon.
The city also planned using some green approaches, such as landscaping to allow more water to be soaked up by the ground, and porous road surfaces that minimize runoff, an approach that results in less water going into storm sewers.
Nothing is late, ACT now and don’t REGRET it later.
