Chennai: A huge pit left behind by private sand mining contractors at Kannapalayam village under Poonamallee panchayat limits near Avadi some years ago, has turned into a death trap for the villagers. Four persons, including two children, have drowned in the pit-turned-pond since last year.
M Kantha, a resident of Kannapalayam village, said, “This is the third time such an unfortunate incident has taken place at the pond. A year ago, a college student and a man drowned in the same pond while they were taking bath.”
“The pond is very deep in some spots and in other spots it is very shallow. Generally, the residents use the pond for washing clothes. They wash clothes in the shallow spots. Only those who are unaware of its depth get trapped when they get into it for bathing. If they know swimming, they would escape. Otherwise, they drown,” Nagalingam said.
Villagers, however, seem to be unfazed by the sporadic drowning deaths, as they continue to use the ‘pond’. When contacted, a local body representative said, “PWD officials during the previous regime awarded tenders to quarry sand from here. As per rules, private contractors are allowed to dig only up to two to three feet. But they had taken sand for more than six feet. Hence, rainwater stagnated in the deeper pits and people are now using it for bathing and washing clothes. After the recent mishap, we filed a petition with the authorities asking them to erect warning signboards.”
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