WRD Moves to Stop Sewage Pollution in Chembarambakkam Reservoir Catchment

The Water Resources Department (WRD) has written to local bodies and the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) urging action to prevent sewage pollution in the catchment areas of the Chembarambakkam reservoir, a crucial drinking water source for Chennai. The intervention follows complaints from residents in Manavala Nagar, Tiruvallur, who warned that untreated sewage is discharging into the Cooum River and contaminating key water channels that feed the reservoir.

According to local residents, sewage from fast-developing residential areas that lack underground drainage infrastructure is being released directly into an otherwise unpolluted stretch of the Cooum River. The discharge is particularly severe along the stretch of the river between the Putlur and Jamin Korattur checkdams.

D. Anandhakrishnan, a resident of Manavala Nagar, stated that sewage enters this stretch through various inlets, including storm-water drains. Because the river has largely dried up, the sewage discharge has become highly prominent, polluting the local groundwater and directly threatening the livelihoods of nearly 100,000 residents who rely on the water for irrigation and recharge.

The polluted water eventually flows into the Chembarambakkam reservoir whenever water is diverted from the Cooum River through the eight-kilometre-long Bangaru channel. Residents reported that households along the banks of the Bangaru channel also release sewage directly into it. Additionally, solid waste is being dumped along the river bank near the Vellavedu Bridge.

In response to representations submitted by the residents to the department and the Chief Minister’s cell, WRD officials recently inspected the catchment areas of the Chembarambakkam reservoir.

Following the inspection, WRD officials confirmed they have written to TNPCB authorities and block development officers to collect water samples and identify the specific sources of pollution. Local bodies have also been directed to ensure that only treated wastewater from sewage treatment plants is discharged into the region's waterways. The WRD stated it will coordinate with other government agencies to halt the pollution.