2 months ago
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The mismatch betwixt accelerated urbanisation and deficiency of capable sewer infrastructure has threatened the comparatively cleaner agelong of the Cooum river. Residents person raised concerns implicit persistent sewage contamination adjacent the Putlur cheque dam, located 40 km from Chennai.
Residents of Manavala Nagar, Tiruvallur, said groundwater levels successful the neighbourhood had taken a deed aft portions of the riverbed were dried up for span operation arsenic portion of the Chennai Peripheral Ring Road project, a six-lane expressway.
Sewage contamination successful the precocious reaches of the stream tin besides impact Chennai’s h2o source, arsenic h2o diverted done the Puduchatram and Korattur cheque dams yet reaches the Chembarambakkam drinking h2o reservoir.
Pointing retired that h2o stored adjacent the river’s checkdams was a pivotal root of groundwater recharge, residents said this has worsened sewage issues.
D. Anandakrishnan, a nonmigratory of Manavala Nagar, said “The introduction of untreated sewage straight into the river, peculiarly adjacent the adust riverbed, volition worsen groundwater contamination and undermine efforts to store freshwater adjacent cheque dams. We person been demanding that the dysfunctional Periyakuppam sewage attraction works beryllium upgraded to grip increasing measurement of sewage generated.”
The section body, which has sunk borewells on the river, besides faced scarcity aft h2o was pumped retired for the span construction, helium said.
Suresh Ramanathan, president, Manavala Nagar Residents Welfare Association, said “Groundwater has already depleted successful areas similar Vengathur, Putlur, and Manavala Nagar by a extent of 20 feet aft the riverbed was dried up for the work. Temporary retention structures should beryllium built successful the upstream oregon downstream information of the stream to store h2o and avert h2o scarcity successful the localities.”
Residents said respective representations had been submitted seeking steps to apprehension untreated sewage travel into the stream and reconstruct waterway arsenic a groundwater source.
Officials of the Water Resources Department said a associated inspection was precocious conducted with the Municipal Administration and Water Supply Department and the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board. The squad has suggested that the sewage attraction plant’s capableness beryllium accrued to cater to the sewage procreation of the rapidly urbanising Tiruvallur municipality.
While precocious ungraded biotechnology is being deployed to amended prime of treated sewage discharged into the river, the works capableness was not inadequate. A study suggesting measures to mitigate sewage contamination successful the stream has been submitted to the Tiruvallur section assemblage and territory administration, officials said.
Noting that the enactment for the Chennai Peripheral Ring Road task crossed the stream information would not adversely interaction groundwater, an authoritative said the contracting steadfast had been advised to physique a impermanent bund downstream of the enactment site.
