Highways department gifts malaria

CHENNAI: In what can be described as a local but classic case of the butterfly effect, road expansion works happening on the Thiru Vi Ka Bridge over Adyar river has caused a malaria outbreak in the slums adjoining the river due to stagnation of water. More than 15 cases of Malaria has been reported in the last one month, in Urur and Olcott Kuppam villages. Residents and activists believe the outbreak to be a result of the stagnation of water in the river caused by the sand bags laid blocking the river by highways department to renovate the Thiru Vi Ka Bridge. Express had earlier reported how the bridge works were being carried out in violation of the coastal regulation zone rules.The laying of sand bags across the Adyar river for construction work has been blocking the flow of water downstream, causing the water to stagnate and also rapid siltation and formation of sand bars. Residents recall that since mid April, the river has been desilted five times, twice by the PWD and thrice by the Highways Department itself. In spite of this, the river mouth is now barely open with sand bars being formed again. This has been causing further stagnation of water, helping the mosquitoes breed in them. “We have never seen so many mosquitoes in this area before,” says Saravanan, member of Urur Olcott Kuppam Panchayat. “The mosquito problems went up so high due to the stagnation of water and since the downpour yesterday, that the problem has increased to unbearable levels,” he added.  “We have been entrusted with only fogging operations. It is the Highways Department that is responsible for the construction work of the bridge. Responding to complaints we have increased our fogging operations which is all that we could do,” said a corporation official.Earlier, activists had unearthed documents which showed that the Highways Department had not applied for a mandatory CRZ clearance before beginning work. Further, a Highways Department official reportedly said that being a government agency it did not have to apply for CRZ, a clear case of ignorance. “Had a CRZ been applied for, an environmental impact assessment would have been conducted in the process, which would have highlighted alternative arrangements to carry out the work without disrupting the flow of the river,” says Nityanand Jayaraman, environmental activist. “It is not the road development work that is annoying the people, but the fact that they are not following the rules and creating trouble for us,” added Saravanan.