The death of little Mahi, 5, in Haryana, puts the focus on the problem of open manholes in Chennai and elsewhere in TN.

The indifference of the civic administration is such that many associations of residents in the city complain about the authorities not addressing the problem of open manholes though they receive numerous complaints.

As news about Mahi’s death was spreading across the country, DC identified several spots in the city where open manholes pose grave danger.

Mambalam, Besant Nagar, Ekattuthangal, Nungambakkam and OMR neighbourhoods are just a few areas sporting such gaping holes.

C. Ramakrishnan, secretary of the Federation of Adyar residents associations said, “We have informed the city corporation and the sewerage board often about the open manholes in our neighbourhood.

Many open manholes in Shastri Nagar and Kasturba Nagar are not closed even after complaints lodged online and through letters. We feel that officials pass the buck and fail to address the problem.”

He recalled a recent incident where a resident slipped into a manhole, which was in the middle of the road, close to a well known sweets shop. “Luckily, she was rescued and the next day the manhole was closed. The authorities react only after accidents. They fail to prevent them,” he remarked.

Resident of Valmiki nagar V. Srinivasan said manholes are not maintained and monitored properly.

“Funds are allotted only for construction of manholes and storm water drains and not for maintenance and monitoring of these structures. The lack of maintenance of manholes results in tragic incidents which could be prevented,” he said.

When contacted, city corporation commissioner D. Karthikeyan said, “There are no open borewells or manholes. The sewerage manholes are taken care of by the sewerage board. We ensure that people do not fall into manholes.”

The Chennai metro water and sewerage board complaint cell receives at least 70 to 100 complaints every day.

“After the extension of Chennai corporation, we receive nearly 100 calls every day. And many of them are complaints related to manholes.

Our information and facilitation cells function in almost all the 15 area offices and we redress the problems as soon as possible,” said an officer.

The complaint cell (044-45674567) functions on all seven days.

Dug-up roads, open wells still a reality

While the shocking death of Mahi, the little girl from Haryana who fell into an open well without any parapet, has roused the conscience of public from across the country, the situation is quite familiar to Coimbatoreans who deal with open pits and dug up roads on a daily basis, waiting for a disaster, thanks to the city corporation’s ever ongoing under ground drainage (UGD) work and open storm water drains.

Although there have been no fatalities fortunately in Coimbatore, several motorists and even pedestrians have fallen into open pits at Sanganur Pallam and even in Sai Baba Colony over the recent past.

“Whenever there is a disaster, we make a hue and cry but the truth is that nobody bothers about the slack attitude of the corporation or even panchayat bodies in not taking any action.

While the media coverage given to this little girl’s tragic death is indeed a good thing, more needs to be done and we should try to prevent such accidents instead of lamenting after they take place,” said Mr. Rajesh Fernandez, a realtor from Sai Baba Colony who has been fighting with the city corporation to close a dug up road in his neighbourhood.

While this is the case in urban areas, atleast two persons were killed when a car that was being reversed fell into an open well while the driver was reversing the vehicle.

Several similar incidents have taken place in the rural areas such as Thadagam where open wells are quite common.

District administration officials said that the issue of open wells could be solved only if the government takes the decision to survey all open wells and identify the illegal ones.