Chennai: The rain has stopped and city water bodies including the Cooum River again to receive untreated waste, with a number of private tankers remove them at night.
The depth of the buckingham canal, a large victim, has shrunk only one foot in many places.
Along Bypass Maduravoyal-Poonamallee, especially in places like Thiruverkadu, a private tanker who doesn’t want to travel up to 15 km to the pump station in Thirumazhisai or Avadi, just throwing waste water into the cohum.
With the pipe into the sewer covered with a cloth, the action is hidden from the person passing.
On Tuesday, TOI took a picture of two tanker drivers boldly to let go of waste disposal in Sennerkuppam and Poonamallee.
One of them, trapped in that action, escaped from the place instantly.
Tankers may come from Chennai, but spend waste to the water channel under the Tiruvalur district, outside the metrowater jurisdiction.
Pughalventhan V, an activist who has marked at least 10 examples of dumping in the last three years, said preparing a pump station in Thizhuvezhkadu and Poonamallee could be a permanent solution.
Environmental lovers say waste in the river is a health hazard for humans and nature.
“When untreated waste is released into the river, it increases pathogenic microbes that do not demand rich flora and fauna biodiversity.
Because the river ends at sea, it disrupts the entire ecosystem,” said T Babu, a researcher in marine biology.
The problem is very severe along OMR, where around 40,000 households between Madhya Kailash and Thiruporur include the apartment complex and each house produces around 1.28 Crore Liter Sewage every day, according to the estimated Federation of OMR Resident Association (FOMRA).
“From this, only about 5% reach the Perungudi treatment plant.
The majority runs directly to Canal Buckingham,” said Fomrra Co-Founder Harsha Koda.
Major General Jose Manaucha (Retd), part of the Save Muttukadu Backwaters campaign, said the regular mud deposit has reduced the depths of the buckingham canal from 30 feet to the last decade.
“Now, livestock easily runs across it.
If the violation continues at this level, Buckingham canal might be lost.” Chengalpet collector Ar Rahul Nadh said, “We have formed a special team under RDO and DSP to seize tankers who dispose of waste water to water body.” In Tiruvallur, the tanker has been confiscated because it releases dirt into cooum, but the police failed to order drivers.
“We have formed a special team in Poonamallee and Gummidipoondi for supervision,” said collector Dr.
John John.