Residents seek assurance against sewage backflow before opting for UGD connections in Hasthinapuram

Residents say the floor level of houses on the northern side of Lakshmi Street is lower than that of the nearby UGD inspection chamber, fuelling fears of sewage flowing back into their premises if connected to the network. | Photo Credit: T. Arvind Residents of Lakshmi Street in Saraswathi Colony, Hasthinapuram, have not opted for underground drainage (UGD) connections, saying they would do so only after the Tambaram Corporation assures them that sewage will not flow back into their homes. They also say they have received SMSes asking them to pay UGD charges despite not having taken household connections.The UGD scheme was implemented in Chromepet around 2010-11 by the then Pallavaram Municipality, now part of the Tambaram City Municipal Corporation. While complaints of sewage overflow at several locations have surfaced over the years, residents say the problem affecting a section of Lakshmi Street is different.According to them, the inspection chamber serving houses on the northern side of the street remains filled almost to the brim with sewage even though many households have not been connected to the UGD network. Fearing that sewage could flow back into their premises because of the alignment of the pipeline, most residents on the northern side have continued to rely on septic tanks, except one newly constructed apartment which has a UGD connection. Houses on the northern side of Lakshmi Street in Saraswathi Colony, Hasthinapuram, whose residents say they have not opted for underground drainage (UGD) connections over fears of sewage backflow. | Photo Credit: T. Arvind P.K. Ravi, a long-time resident, said the issue had been repeatedly taken up with Corporation officials and elected representatives.“We continue to depend on septic tanks, which has to be emptied periodically. Yet we have received SMSes asking us to pay UGD charges even though we have not taken connections,” he said.Pointing to the street’s gradient, Ravi alleged that the alignment of the sewer line was flawed.“The road slopes from west to east, while the sewer line has been designed to carry sewage from east to west. This is why we fear sewage could flow back into our homes if we take connections,” he said.Trial and redesignKannaiyan, another resident and a retired government employee, said residents were not opposed to joining the UGD scheme but wanted the Corporation to address their concerns first. “We are willing to take UGD connections, but officials should first demonstrate that sewage will not return to our houses. They should conduct a trial and dispel our fears,” he said.He said the Corporation had laid an additional pipeline above the existing one about three years ago, but the sewage level in the chamber continued to remain high.“Our houses are at a slightly lower level. We want the Corporation to redesign the alignment so that the sewage level in the chamber remains well below the surface. Only then will we have the confidence to join the scheme,” Kannaiyan said.Residents also questioned how the first inspection chamber on their street remained full despite the absence of household connections, alleging that sewage could be flowing in from an adjoining street.Residents pointed out that while the northern side of Lakshmi Street falls within Ward 37 of the Tambaram Corporation, the opposite side comes under the Chitlapakkam limits, where the UGD scheme has not yet been implemented, leaving the issue unresolved for one section of the street and likely to affect the other in future.When contacted, Ward 37 councillor Mahalakshmi Karunakaran said residents should take up the issue of UGD payment notices with the Corporation Commissioner.On the alleged design flaw, she said an additional pipeline had been laid in 2023 following residents’ representations.“We have asked residents to try taking connections one by one. If the problem persists, we will rectify it,” she said. However, residents remained unconvinced, saying temporary pumping of sewage would not address the underlying problem.Call for fresh surveyAnother resident suggested that officials should inspect whether the UGD line could instead be connected to the inspection chamber on nearby Varadharajan Street, which is at a lower level. Social activist M. Ravi said the issue could be resolved through a technical reassessment of the drainage network.“The Corporation Commissioner should direct engineers to survey locations where uneven sewage flow has been reported and allocate funds for redesign wherever necessary,” he said. Published - July 18, 2026 06:01 pm IST