Hasthinapuram Residents Refuse Drainage Connections Over Sewage Backflow Fears

Residents of Lakshmi Street in Saraswathi Colony, Hasthinapuram, within the Tambaram City Municipal Corporation, are refusing to connect to the local underground drainage (UGD) system due to fears of sewage backing up into their homes. Despite not having household connections, several residents on the northern side of the street have also reported receiving SMS notifications demanding payment for UGD charges.

The UGD scheme was originally implemented around 2010-11 by the then Pallavaram Municipality, which has since been integrated into the Tambaram City Municipal Corporation. While the network has faced various sewage overflow complaints over the years, Lakshmi Street residents stated that their specific issue stems from a pipeline alignment flaw.

According to local residents, the inspection chamber serving the northern side of the street remains filled almost to the brim with sewage, even though almost all households there have avoided connecting to the network. Currently, only one newly constructed apartment building on that side of the street has a UGD connection. The rest of the residents continue to rely on septic tanks, which they must pay to have emptied periodically.

P.K. Ravi, a long-time resident of Lakshmi Street, explained that the street's gradient is the main source of concern. The road slopes from west to east, but the sewer line was designed to carry sewage from east to west. Ravi stated that residents fear this reverse flow design will cause sewage to flood their properties if they link to the system. He added that residents have repeatedly raised the issue with Corporation officials and elected representatives to no avail.

Another resident and retired government employee, Kannaiyan, stated that residents are willing to join the UGD scheme if the Corporation addresses their technical concerns. He called on officials to conduct a trial to demonstrate that sewage will not flow back into the houses. Kannaiyan noted that the Corporation laid an additional pipeline above the existing one in 2023, but the sewage level in the chamber has remained high. Residents have requested a redesign of the alignment to keep the sewage level well below the surface.

The northern side of Lakshmi Street falls within Ward 37 of the Tambaram Corporation, while the opposite side is under Chitlapakkam limits, where the UGD scheme has not yet been rolled out.

When contacted, Ward 37 councillor Mahalakshmi Karunakaran advised residents to take up the disputed UGD billing notices directly with the Corporation Commissioner. Regarding the alignment issues, Karunakaran confirmed that an additional pipeline was laid in 2023 following residents' representations. She suggested that residents should try taking connections one by one, promising that the Corporation would rectify any persistent problems. However, residents remained unconvinced, arguing that temporary pumping would not solve the structural issue.