There are only two demands that the residents of Azad Nagar, Anna Colony, Muthu Colony and Cheran Nagar expect the Corporation to fulfil: improve water supply and clean drain, says A. Badrunisha, a resident of Muthu Colony.
The civic body supplies drinking water through water tankers that too only once in 25 days. There is no piped supply. This makes storage for such a long duration difficult, adds K. Rejina. The impact of such a long supply cycle is not difficult to miss, as all the houses have pillar-like huge plastic containers on both sides of the entrance.
However much they cover the containers, the quality of water deteriorates and leaves a telling impact after the tenth day when they use it for cooking, Ms. Rejina says and wants the civic body to improve water supply.
Every time the residents raise the issue with the elected representative or officials, they only get promises but not water, the women rue. The locality comes under Ward 86 of the Coimbatore Corporation.
The next of the residents’ grievance has to do with drains, which they claim were cleaned long ago are full to the brim. Pointing to the drain, resident S. Beevi says that the sewage enters the house as the drain is choked. And when the sewage enters it nullifies the effect of cleaning the house.
That is not all. The overflowing drain islands the pipelines from which the residents fetch bore well water, complains H. Yusuf. “It is in such unhygienic environment that we collect water.”
He adds that the poor water supply and the stagnant sewage have made the residents feel that the Coimbatore Corporation is neglecting the locality.
Ward Councillor K. Sadiq Ali says that he too shares the residents’ feeling because his highlighting the issue at the Corporation Council and also the South Zone meeting have yielded not results: only failed promises.
He says that in addition to the residents’ complaint on water supply and sewage, he has also asked the officials to place garbage bins, collect garbage from the bins already in place and also repair the road that connects a host of residential colonies. But none has come through. Mr. Ali says that he wants the Corporation to attend to the needs of the area at the earliest.
