Coliform scare in city waterbodies as corpn shies away from collecting fine

Test on water sample from a stormwater drain in Thirumangalam shows 5X presence of bacteria

- PRAVEENA S A @Chennai

THE city corporation has now revised the fines for illegal sewage connections to the city's storm water drains, which eventually make their way into the major waterbodies. However, it remains to be seen if the fines would be enforced, as despite a 2017 amendment of the Chennai City Municipal Corporation Act, 1919 allowing for fines from ₹5,000 (residential) to ₹2 lakh (commercial), the corporation officials told TNIE they have not collected any fine yet.

Setting the alarm bells ringing, a recent test on the water sample drawn from a stormwater drain in Thirumangalam showed faecal coliform levels were five times higher than the permissible limit prescribed by the TNPCB. The test was conducted by civil contractor R Rama Rao.