For several years now, residents of the Avadi Tamil Nadu Housing Board Colony have had problems day in and day out, owing to lack of quality drinking water and bad roads. On Thursday, the residents observed a day-long fast seeking basic amenities for their locality.
The colony, which was developed two decades ago, has about 4,500 houses and over 30,000 residents. Members of the Avadi TNHB Residents’ Welfare Association said that even after a brief spell of rain, their colony gets flooded with sewage mixed rainwater that spills over from the canal running alongside the colony.
The quality of groundwater in the area has also deteriorated because of regular flooding during the season, and municipal water supply is erratic, the residents said. The association’s president K.B. Devendran said: “We buy a pot of water for Rs. 8 from private tankers. But this cannot be used for drinking and cooking. I spend nearly Rs.2,000 on water every month.”
Residents want the Avadi municipality to widen the canal to alleviate the problem of flooding and also lay better roads. Despite several petitions to the authorities, nothing has been done as yet, they said.
Avadi municipality officials said measures have been taken for garbage clearance and drinking water supply. “We have repaired some of the roads. We will blacktop them once the underground drainage scheme is completed early next year. We are planning to survey encroachments over the canal for a project to widen it,” said an official.
