Broken furniture, tree branches, plastic items have started doubling up as stormwater drain manhole covers as many are partially broken, according to complaints from residents across the city.
Subbulakshmi, 52, claimed that for over a week, two manholes in Nandanam, one along a sidewalk near a CMWSSB Park and another outside an apartment complex, were found broken and closed with either old wooden furniture like draws, or branches or bricks.
The stormwater drains and manholes on the northern side of the Perambur High Road are badly damaged but covered only with concrete slabs instead of manhole doors, said Raghukumar Choodamani of Perambur Neighborhood Development Forum. “When unskilled workers attempt to open the manholes to desilt the drains, the covers are broken but not properly replaced, like in Venkatraman Street, Patel Road, Srinivasan Street, Kumarasami Street, Anandavelu Street and Gurumurthy Garden school road. Skilled labour and machinery to handle this infrastructure must be deployed by the GCC,” he suggested.
The issue was reported in several other areas like in EVP Sapthagiri Nagar in Valasaravakkam close to a school, a stormwater drain manhole was covered using concrete slabs. There were complaints from Chamiers Road opposite Petrol pump station and Samayapuram 5th Cross Street in Karambakkam as well.
Asked about it, a senior official in the Corporation said, “There is illegal outlet of sewage which releases gases like sulphide and methane which erodes the steel and concrete of the manhole covers. Tenders have always been issued specifying materials suitable only for ordinary rainwater systems, as the use of chemical erosion-resistant materials is costlier. Ideally, additional manhole covers must be with local engineers or authorities who must replace the damaged ones during routine inspections.”
The issue of damaged manholes in Chennai was initially addressed in August 2024, when the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) announced plans to assess the condition of manholes across all 15 zones.
The senior official stated that there are 1.6 lakh underground drainage (UGD) manholes maintained by the Chennai Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (CMWSSB), while the GCC oversees around 3 lakh manholes.
He added that the mapping of these manholes is ongoing and once that is completed, an online registry will be in place to monitor them, facilitating replacements in cases of damage or theft.
Published – January 13, 2025 12:41 am IST