As the water crisis worsens in the city, getting potable water, even through private tankers, is becoming an arduous task. Residents not only have to shell out more for private water supply but also wait for a few days before receiving it.
With Chennai Metrowater suspending tanker supply for commercial establishments and reducing piped water supply, residents and commercial firms have turned to private suppliers to meet their needs. However, many residents across the city noted that they had little choice than to spend up to ₹2,800 to purchase a 12 kl tanker load to offset the gap in Metrowater supply.
J. Sivagurunathan, a resident of T. Nagar, said “Our well has dried up. We buy water from private operators as Metrowater supply has decreased. Operators have hiked charges and a tanker load costs ₹1,000 more than it did a fortnight ago. It takes many calls and three or four days to get water.”
Private water suppliers across the city said they were forced to increase rates as they were plying farther to source water. S. Bharathi, joint secretary, South Chennai Private Lorry Operators Association, said tankers, which were sourcing water from the Medavakkam-Kovilambakkam belt, now travel an additional 10 km to places such as Tiruporur and Ponmar for water drawal.
“We get nearly 90 calls seeking water but each lorry is able to operate only 5-6 trips daily. We charge up to ₹2,200 for a 12 kl load up to Adyar and the rate increases based on distance,” he said.
In the fringes of the city, tanker operators are facing the ire of residents, who are worried excessive drawal will affect groundwater levels in their areas. Residents of Ayapakkam complain that tankers have been drawing from borewells along the Ayapakkam-Thiruverkadu Road and near the Ayapakkam lake throughout the day for several months.
‘Limit drawal’
R. Baskar of Ayapakkam said, “We are buying water for ₹6 per pot as it is supplied through street taps once a week. Groundwater, our only major source, is also dipping. The local body must limit drawal for commercial purposes.”
Tankers in the western suburbs are also travelling up to Thirumazhisai and Sriperumbudur to draw water. S. Murugan, a tanker operator, noted that they were not able to tap borewells in the Poonamallee belt due to residents’ protests since Saturday. P.S. Sundaram, president, Chennai Private Tanker Lorry Owners Association, said that as lorries had to wait for several hours to source water, only four loads were supplied daily. “We had to increase charges to ₹2,000 for a 12 kl load and up to ₹3,400 for a 20 kl load to meet increasing expenditure,” he said.