Mounds of debris were found to be dumped in the Virugambakkam canal by residents in Ward 127 in Zone 10, days after it was inspected by the Mayor.

A resident near the Chinmaya Nagar bridge for 45 years claimed that this was the first time he noticed such massive amounts of debris dumped in the canal.

“The waste was observed in two locations— one near the bridge and another approximately 300 mm from the bridge. Accumulation of garbage has been a consistent problem in the canal. Mayor R. Priya on September 12 inspected the canal and instructed officials to address this issue. When locals checked to see the progress after her orders, they found large piles of debris on Sunday (September 15, 2024),” he claimed.

N. Umayal, 49, of the Virugambakkam Welfare Association and Sai Nagar Welfare Association, alleged that despite submitting multiple petitions signed by over 50 residents requesting the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) to monitor illegal waste disposal in the area, the problem has only worsened. Earlier in September, large amounts of garbage were found floating in the canal, including a large rusted metal gate, plastic and food waste, she added.

The Assistant Executive Engineer for the ward stated that, after local officers wrote to higher authorities, the Virugambakkam canal is currently undergoing desilting from Dhanalakshmi Nagar and will be continued for the entire length. The canal’s jurisdiction is not with the Chennai Corporation, hence the respective management must take action, he added.

On monitoring the disposal of construction and debris waste, he stated, “No information regarding any complaints was passed on from higher authorities about a gate floating. We have not found the persons who dump the waste, therefore no fines were levied so far.”

He said, “There are no surveillance cameras because the ones installed in private properties face the canal and can be used for checking the spots for any issues. GCC officials have not conducted any recent inspections of the canal or reviewed the CCTV tapes.”

Regional Deputy Commissioner (Central) K.J. Praveen Kumar said Commissioner J. Kumaragurubaran held a review regarding this on Monday (September 16, 2024) evening and said that the executive engineer of the Water Resources Department will attend to the matter. “They will be clearing it post drying of the debris,” he added.