Many of the drainage lines in Ooty town are clogged and overflowing but the civic authorities have turned a blind eye to the issue. Despite several complaints, the overflowing drains are unattended by the Ooty municipality even during tourist season, say locals.
"On Commercial Road, the only main commercial stretch in the hill town, there are four spots were sewage water runs on to the street. Commercial Road is one of the main hubs for tourists," said Shobana Chandrasekar, founder-member of 'Make Ooty Beautiful' (MOB).
MOB is planning to clean up Commercial Road soon, ahead of the tourist season in the coming days. "But, with the drainage overflowing from the man-holes, we don't know, how to go about it," she added.
In several other places such as Missionary Hills and Market Road, over flowing drain water is not attended by the authorities. "Ooty is a small town. But the authorities cannot even take care of this small area," said S Ramani, a resident of Ooty.
"In front of the Aavin booth near the super market on Commercial Road, sewage water has been flowing on to the road for weeks together. It's really inconvenient to buy milk from the booth," said B Sureshkumar, another resident.
Stating that it is a serious health hazard, Shobana Chnadrasekar said, "Every year, mostly during peak season, unattended leakage of sewage water becomes a menace. Ironically, just a few months ago, a huge sum of money was spent on rectifying this problem at Charing Cross, in front of Bharathiar complex. But the problem persists".
However, Ruban Suresh Ponnaiah, Ooty Municipal Engineer, told TOI, "Three new drain line connections have been sanctioned in Bharathiar complex. But the shopkeepers have to come up with their own chamber before they could use the main line. We will initiate an enquiry into this".
According to him, despite awareness programmes, shop keepers release all wastes, including plastics, into the drains. The sewage system is not designed for such wastes. Hence the drains overflow.
"Only diluted waste should be diverted to the drainage line. We will rectify all damaged drainage lines soon," said the official.
"On Commercial Road, the only main commercial stretch in the hill town, there are four spots were sewage water runs on to the street. Commercial Road is one of the main hubs for tourists," said Shobana Chandrasekar, founder-member of 'Make Ooty Beautiful' (MOB).
MOB is planning to clean up Commercial Road soon, ahead of the tourist season in the coming days. "But, with the drainage overflowing from the man-holes, we don't know, how to go about it," she added.
In several other places such as Missionary Hills and Market Road, over flowing drain water is not attended by the authorities. "Ooty is a small town. But the authorities cannot even take care of this small area," said S Ramani, a resident of Ooty.
"In front of the Aavin booth near the super market on Commercial Road, sewage water has been flowing on to the road for weeks together. It's really inconvenient to buy milk from the booth," said B Sureshkumar, another resident.
Stating that it is a serious health hazard, Shobana Chnadrasekar said, "Every year, mostly during peak season, unattended leakage of sewage water becomes a menace. Ironically, just a few months ago, a huge sum of money was spent on rectifying this problem at Charing Cross, in front of Bharathiar complex. But the problem persists".
However, Ruban Suresh Ponnaiah, Ooty Municipal Engineer, told TOI, "Three new drain line connections have been sanctioned in Bharathiar complex. But the shopkeepers have to come up with their own chamber before they could use the main line. We will initiate an enquiry into this".
According to him, despite awareness programmes, shop keepers release all wastes, including plastics, into the drains. The sewage system is not designed for such wastes. Hence the drains overflow.
"Only diluted waste should be diverted to the drainage line. We will rectify all damaged drainage lines soon," said the official.