Citizen Connect: Velachery canal now a cesspool of garbage

According to S Kumara Raja, president of Annai Indira Nagar Welfare Association, “Waterlogging is a huge cause of concern for residents during the rain. Rain water can flow through the canal and reach the marshland.” 

Authorities concerned, who were carrying out road widening works on the Velachery Main Road, closed the canal recently. A small section, left open near the Vijayanagar junction opposite Saravana Stores, has become a place for garbage dumping, residents said. Nearby stall owners and shopkeepers dump their trash in the canal. Construction debris is also thrown inside it. 

Raja, who opined that authorities should have cleaned the canal before closing it, added, “Officials told us they will use high-power sucker equipment. But we are wondering if that is even possible considering the little space left open. Much to our relief, they were cleaning the canal every year. But with the closure of the canal, we are now anxious about this year’s rains,” he said. 

Raja pointed out that smaller storm water drains in the surrounding areas are linked to the canal. “The eight-feet deep canal has now been reduced to four-feet. This is a huge cause of worry for residents of Vijaya Nagar, Ram Nagar and Murugu Nagar in Velachery.” S Rajkumar, another resident of Velachery, pointed out that another section of the closed canal has been converted into a parking lot. “The space outside Sangeetha is now a spot for public to park their vehicles. Road widening works, therefore, don’t serve any purpose,” he said. 

When contacted, PWD officials said the Highways Department, which carried out the road widening work, would be informed about the dumping of garbage. A source said, “It will be removed and the canal will continue to be an effective channel for draining the excess water from the lake during rains.”