Cutting through Vaithikuppam and Kuruchikuppam, the Karuvadikuppam canal that originates from Lawspet was designed to regulate the flow of rainwater towards the north of Puducherry.
But houses located along the entire length of the canal in Vaithikuppam have turned the waterbody into a sewer, by illegally discharging sewage into it. The canal empties into the sea located a few metres away. Pipelines from these houses, directed into the canal, remain a common sight in Vaithikuppam.
Pipelines from houses carrying waste water are directed into the Karuvadikuppam canal | Photo Credit: KUMAR SS
The canal that runs for more than two km branches out at Vaithikuppam from the link canal that originates from Krishna Nagar in Lawspet. However, the waterbody never served the purpose for which it was built, thanks to the discharge of untreated sewage into it.
The authorities too, have let residents do this, in violation of Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) guidelines.
Environmentalists say that there has been no control with regard to sewage entering the sea. Sea water has also turned black due to this unhindered discharge, they claim.
According to Aurofilio Schiavina, a coastal management expert, “This is the sorry state of affairs of these stormwater drains. These drains were made to carry storm water only during the rains, but they are being used as drains for untreated sewage. It’s not only the sewage from the houses next to the drains. There are a lot of small roadside drains that also discharge untreated sewage into the canal. These roadside drains carry untreated sewage because either the underground sewerage system is choked and overflows or there is no sewerage service at all. It’s a huge problem that needs to be fixed at multiple levels and merely trying to stop the sewage from houses along the drain may not help much.”
Sunaina Mandeen, co-founder of PondyCan a civil society organisation said, “This illegal discharge of waste water from houses is happening everywhere. When there is a sewerage system why are these houses allowed to discharge sewage into the stormwater drains? This is a total health hazard to everyone living along the canals and totally unsafe for children. People and the government are both responsible for allowing this to happen for decades together. This can change only when people realise the harm they are doing to themselves and the government is forced to feel responsible for its population.”
A senior official of the Department of Science, Technology and Environment said that they had taken cognisance of the issue and would look into it.
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