Chennai: Ahead of the monsoon , as the fear of flooding looms large among residents in areas around Otteri nullah in Perambur, they want the canal and the stormwater drains leading to the area desilted and cleaned at the earliest.“The stormwater drains leading to the nullah are choked with garbage. As the drains leading to the nullah were not cleaned properly there is always water stagnation in our area. PWD removed floating garbage from the nullah but did not desilt it,” said Lokabiraman, a resident of Jamalia.Residents said the corporation carried out incomplete work while cleaning stormwater drains as several stretches remain untouched.“After the end of Perambur High Road, where Stephenson Road starts, the drains are completely uncovered and they double as dustbins for nearby residents,” said Vijaykumar, another resident.A visit to the area showed that at one point an open drain was clogged with debris blocking the water flow to the nullah.The public works department (PWD) had cleaned the Nullah in October to remove huge amount of garbage from the water body but the canal is back to its sorry state due to continuous disposal of garbage into it.PWD officials blame residents, Greater Chennai Corporation , and Metrowater for the present state of the nullah, and said silt formed continuously due to sewage being let into the nullah.“We had cleaned the nullah and removed silt to some extent. However, corporation and Metrowater should ensure that drains are not clogged with garbage and sewage,” said a PWD official, overseeing work along the nullah.Being a low-lying area, parts of Perambur lying next to the nullah were badly affected during the 2015 floods. Heavy rain leads to severe inundation in the area, said residents.Corporation officials from the zone, however, said desilting of drains was done properly in the adjoining areas.“Due to illegal sewage connections, there is an enormous amount of silt in the drains. However, there have been no reports of stagnation,” said an official.

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