Chennai: Monsoon has always been a nightmare for residents of Urapakkam with pools of water blocking roads and insects seeping inside houses.
This year, it is worse they say as broken stormwater drain (SWD) parts are right in front of the entrance of the streets on arterial GST Road.
‘The drains parallel to GST road intersect the entrance of numerous small streets near Urapakkam tea shop signal. Due to heavy vehicles plying over slabs of SWDs at night, most of them broke last year. It has not been rectified till now and the holes have widened making it impossible for the four wheelers to enter the streets,” rued N.Karthik, a resident.
The issue was reported to the authorities multiple times in the past, but to no avail. “It wouldn’t cost a lot for them to replace the broken slabs but funds are not being invested on this. Volunteer action is the only option that the residents have.”
Residents also complained that the broken pits have sharp TMT rods protruding outside, thereby posing a risk for kids playing on the roads. Also, the pits have now changed into garbage dumping areas.
Residents also complain of encroachments near water bodies, leaving less than 25 per cent of the space for water storage.
When contacted, an official said funds would soon be allocated to repair the roads in the locality after which other problems would be addressed.
