Residents of Sangathidal in Ponmalai have complained of sewage stagnation in the low-lying area, raising apprehensions about the spread of vector-borne diseases.
“The sewage usually percolates, but of late it has begun stagnating. Though it has been two weeks since it rained in the area, the water has not percolated,” says K.C. Neelamegam, a resident.
Workers from the Ponmalai Railway Workshop, whose houses are situated 500 metres past the pond, have to put up with the stench and the mosquitoes on the way to their homes. The residents said the sewage, flowing from nearby residential areas, had become a breeding ground for mosquitoes and other insects. There are two higher secondary schools, two churches, and a temple close by. Children pass by the stagnating sewage on their way to school, they said.
The thick growth of thorny bushes compounded the problem as garbage is dumped here.
“I had taken up the matter with the Collector in 2007 and 2011, but we could not find a solution to this problem. A few days ago, I had dug out a way for the sewage to drain,” said M. Sitalakshmi Muruganandam, councillor.
