Sewage enters Muttukadu backwaters

WITH the city receiving heavy downpour, the Muttukadu backwaters south of Chennai has turned black with the sudden influx of raw sewage from upstream areas.

- SV KRISHNA CHAITANYA & NIMISHA S PRADEEP

TNIE, on Sunday, visited the Kovalam estuary where Muttukadu backwaters drains into the sea. The wide bar mouth of the estuary was found pushing a large volume of raw sewage into the sea, posing a serious environmental hazard. The thick black sewage stood out from the brown floodwater in the backwaters.

An official from Central Institute of Brackish-water Aquaculture, which is operating an experimental station at Muttukadu, said, "Till Sunday morning there was no sewage mixing near the estuary. Maybe in the noon, areas upstream must have opened illegal sewage outlets into the channel."