For the second time in a week, dry taps provoked residents of a northern neighbourhood in the city to take to the streets in protest.
Around 9.30 a.m. on Wednesday, residents of Ezhil Nagar A and B blocks, Chandrasekar Nagar, Annai Satya Nagar, MGR Nagar and Tiruvallur Nagar — localities near Korukkupet — landed on Manali High Road in Kodungaiyur with empty pots and demanded immediate resumption of water supply to their houses.
The protest resulted in traffic chaos for more than an hour. “For a week now, we have not even received tanker water supply. We trek to neighbouring areas like Tondiarpet and MKB Nagar to fetch a few pots of water,” said K. Venket, a resident of Ezhil Nagar.
On Monday, the IT corridor had come to a standstill for nearly two hours after residents blocked Taramani 100-feet Road protesting non-supply by Metrowater. After the intervention of Metrowater and the police, water supply was resumed later in the day.
On Wednesday too, a police contingent led by Sampath, inspector (law & order), Kodungaiyur, and accompanied by the Metrowater area engineer reached the spot and pacified the agitated residents. They promised resumption of water supply through tanker lorries.
According to Metrowater, at present, the city’s four main reservoirs — Red Hills, Chembarambakkam, Poondi and Cholavaram — have just 20 per cent of their total storage capacity. In fact, Cholavaram has hit dead storage.
With surface water options running out, the dependence on groundwater has increased. Every day, on an average, the water supplied to the city stands at around 831 million litres (MLD) but due to the storage, the supply has dwindled to 600 MLD over the past month.
“With limited water resources, our hands are tied. Good rains are our only hope,” said a Metrowater official.
Meanwhile, more than 200 residents of Meenambal and Kannadasan Nagar blocked Manali High Road near Meenambal Salai on Wednesday demanding resumption of Metrowater supply. There too, the police and Metrowater officials had to intervene and promise resumption of water supply, at least through tanker lorries.
