The upper reaches of the Adyar are showing signs of improvement as a portion of it has been cleaned, and has become free of sewage outfalls. This is being done on a 16-km stretch of the river, which runs along places such as Perungalathur, Thiruneermalai, Gerugambakkam, and Anakapathur, and has been an easy target for misuse.
To stave off degradation of the river, the Tambaram Municipal Corporation has formed special teams to strengthen surveillance along its course and levy fines on those found causing pollution. In the past two months, nearly 23.5 tonnes of garbage has been removed near vulnerable stretches, including Anakaputhur and Thiruneermalai.
Residents of Pozhichalur said some of the worst-affected stretches now sport a cleaner look. A. Parthiban, a resident, said garbage along the river bund that had narrowed Pallavaram Road, which linked Cowl Bazaar to Kolapakkam, had been removed. “It used to be one of the worst stretches to travel on. The road has been relayed and is wider now as the mounds of waste are gone,” he said.
R. Alagu Meena, Commissioner, Tambaram Municipal Corporation, said special teams had been formed in two zones, comprising areas such as Anakapathur, Thiruneermalai, and Perungalathur, to monitor sewage pollution and garbage dumping in the river. Besides this, closed-circuit television cameras are being installed at various places, such as Mudichur Road, for better surveillance.
“We have also prepared proposals to construct underground drainage network at panchayats near Thiruneermalai to prevent raw sewage from flowing into the river or other waterbodies,” she said.
The civic body has plugged eight sewage outfalls over the past two months and levied a fine of nearly ₹2 lakh on commercial establishments and residential complexes for dumping garbage and releasing sewage into the river. Officials said work to provide sewer networks in areas such as Anakaputhur and Pammal was nearing completion and could put an end to the sewage pollution.
The teams also monitor lorries that dump sewage into the river and deter people from using the river as a dumping space as part of concerted efforts with the Chennai Rivers Restoration Trust. The civic body has also made proposals to set up material recovery facilities to produce recyclable materials and reduce the amount of garbage being sent to dumping yards.
Earlier, the Water Resources Department (WRD) had written to various local bodies last year, asking them to take action against those dumping garbage in waterbodies as it hindered conservation efforts. Officials said the WRD did not have the powers to initiate action against such people, unlike local bodies. A dedicated surveillance system along the entire stretch of the river could sustain the conservation efforts, the letter added.
