DMK MLA P.T.R. P. Thiagarajan has blamed the officials for drinking water crisis in the city.
Speaking to reporters on Saturday, he said the residents relied on Vaigai dam, a major source for drinking water. Since the last six months, the situation had not been conducive due to monsoon failure. Thus, it was pretty clear that all was not going to be well this summer.
The officials should have either planned well to face the challenges or stopped pilferage of water, as reported in the media, between the Mullaiperiyar dam and Vaigai dam.
When the PWD officials said that they discharged 225 cusecs, not even 50 per cent of it reached Vaigai dam. “If the illegal withdrawal was stopped then and there, the storage in Vaigai reservoir might have doubleed, with which the demand could have been easily met,” he added.
Theni and Madurai Collectors should have formed flying squads to keep a tab on theft of water and made the PWD officials accountable for shortage. If these measures had been taken, the common man would not be suffering today, he said.
He said that the engineers in Madurai Corporation did not know how many tankers had been taken on contract or assigned with the task of water distribution though Corporation Commissioner Sandeep Nanduri had taken steps to instal GPRS in tankers and established a modern control room.
