In a step towards conserving groundwater resources, Poonamallee municipality recently launched a drive to curb illegal tapping of water from borewells for commercial use. Poonamallee and Seneerkuppam are among the most sought-after areas by private tankers.
About 400 lorries source nearly 1,500 loads of water daily from areas such as Poonamallee, Avadi, Ambattur and Thirumazhisai. Groundwater is available about 50 feet below ground level.
Officials recently visited Ambal Nagar in Poonamallee, where they found water was being drawn from 12 borewells. Theystopped the work.
Poonamallee municipality’s commissioner B.V. Surendra Sha said such measures would continue. At present, Poonamallee, which has a population of nearly 60,000 receives about 5 million litres of water a day (mld) and there is a shortfall of about one mld.
However, private water tanker operators said there was no licensing system and blamed confusion over the regulatory authority. P.S.Sundaram, president, Chennai Private Water Tanker Owners Association said: “We fill the gap between the municipal supply and the demand. We have been fighting for a licensing system. We will adhere to regulations.”
