Nehrunagar residents complain of repeated sewage overflow

Madurai: Members of the Nehrunagar residents' welfare association have demanded a permanent solution to repeated sewage overflow on several streets in the area, which are affecting many homes and families and causing health hazards. They said that temporary fixes are having very little effect.Residents said that sewage overflows onto the open from the underground sewage (UGD) system, covering the entire street on multiple occasions.P Palanisamy, president of the association, explained that because streets like Kalaimagal 1st, 2nd and 3rd Street and Agasthiyar Street are at a lower elevation than the main road, sewage flowing through the UGD system gets backed up and blocked, sometimes even flowing backwards and entering homes and toilets, making it difficult to live. "Even during a light rain, drainage and rainwater mix and flood the streets, as there is no proper outlet for the rainwater," he said. "There is a foul stench that constantly emanates from the area where there are blockages, making it uncomfortable to eat and sleep," he added.K Pandi, treasurer of the association, added that despite several fixes by the corporation, the issue continues. "A pumping station to constantly clear the blockages caused by the elevation, or an upgrade to the UGD system to fix the issues, is desperately required to prevent the problem from happening again and again," he said.Madurai corporation said they will look into the issue and notify the concerned assistant engineer (AE). A senior corporation official added that "super sucking machines have been dispatched to clear any sewage overflow as a temporary measure while the AE conducts a survey on possible permanent fixes."