Sewage water floods Agamedu school during heavy rain; residents seek permanent solution

VELLORE: Whenever it rains heavily, the Government Panchayat Union Primary School in Agamedu village at Saduperi gets flooded with rainwater mixed with sewage, affecting around 25 children and the staff.

Residents told TNIE that students are forced to walk through dirty water, which at times reaches ankle level, to reach the classrooms. The stagnant water also brings worms and mosquitoes, posing health risks to the children.

K Gunasundari, a resident, said, “The open drainage canal around the school does not have an outlet. So, when it rains heavily, the drainage water overflows and enters the school as it is located in a low-lying area. The dirty water also spreads on the road.”

There is a water tank and washing area within the school premises where utensils used for mid-day meals and breakfast are cleaned. The wastewater from washing also stagnates inside the school.

“There is no proper outlet for it to drain,” she added.

Besides the school premises, the dirty water stagnates along a 500-metre stretch of the main road in the village.

The damaged road, with exposed mud and numerous potholes, has become uneven and slippery. S Jayarani, another resident, said, “People visiting the ration shop on the same road often slip and fall as the area in front of the shop is slushy. Vehicle tyres also get stuck in it.”

Close to the school is a Government Anganwadi. “The overflowing dirty water could also reach the road at the entrance of the Anganwadi during heavy rains,” residents said.

Near the Anganwadi, a water tank supplies drinking water to the entire village, which has about 800 residents. As drainage water stagnates near the tank, residents fear contamination if any leakage occurs in the connecting pipelines.

The residents said that upon learning they were petitioning the collector about the matter on Monday, officials arranged for machines to suck out the dirty water from the school premises and the road.

However, they added that they have also petitioned the collector seeking a permanent solution to the issue, as no long-term measures have been taken so far. Concerned officials could not be reached for comment.

The story is reported by Dheepthi OJ for The New Indian Express