Public toilets in Chennai’s Sharma Nagar and MKB Nagar have remained locked because of sewage problems and repeated water-motor failures, forcing residents and visitors to depend on alternative facilities.
The toilet near the MLA office in Sharma Nagar has been closed for more than a month after sewage overflow was reported inside the facility. New pipeline lines have since been laid, while damaged sections of the internal infrastructure are being replaced, according to Greater Chennai Corporation officials.
The facility is used by people visiting a nearby park, market and bus stop. Murugan, a Sharma Nagar resident, said the closure was causing particular difficulty for women, senior citizens and other members of the public who previously depended on the toilet.
A GCC official said repair work was undertaken after the sewage overflow and that the toilet would be reopened once the entire job was completed. The official said new pipelines had been laid and work on the damaged internal pipeline was under way.
A separate public toilet near the MKB Nagar police station has been locked for more than five days after its water motor developed another fault. The motor had initially failed about a month ago and was repaired, allowing the toilet to reopen. It later stopped working again, affecting the facility’s water supply.
The water arrangement at the MKB Nagar toilet has also changed. Water was earlier supplied through a connection from the Street Light Corporation office. After a new contractor was appointed, that connection was discontinued and a new motor was installed. The current supply problem has been attributed to sand blockage in the motor.
Bhavani, a resident of MKB Nagar, said the toilet was used by people going for morning and evening walks, college students, senior citizens and visitors to a nearby tennis court. At present, only the women’s toilet can be used, she said, adding that users have to fetch water from a nearby tap.
With the MKB Nagar facility only partly usable, residents have been using the toilet at the nearby tennis court. The situation has shifted the burden of basic sanitation access to another public facility, while also leaving users dependent on manually fetched water.
The GCC official said the damaged internal pipeline at the MKB Nagar toilet was being repaired and that the facility would be reopened after the work was completed. The official indicated that the work was expected to take two days. Another official said action would be taken soon to address the faulty water motor.
The two cases leave the reopening of both facilities dependent on the completion of pipeline repairs and restoration of reliable water supply, according to the civic body’s statements.
