For the second day, private water tanker operators in the southern suburbs went on strike, seeking licence to draw groundwater.
Hundreds of lorries have been parked along the Pallavaram-Thoraipakkam Radial Road and near the Navalur toll gate for the past two days.
This follows the recent move of the Kancheepuram district administration to seize tankers for extracting groundwater without proper licence.
S. Bharathi, vice-president, South Chennai Private Water Tanker Operators Welfare Association, said such checks are often done by the district administration. “We need a permanent solution to the issue and want licences to be provided for groundwater extraction or permission to be given to draw water from identified wells,” he said.
At present, nearly 1,200 private water tankers are being operated to serve areas along the IT corridor and the southern parts of the city, including Adyar and Mylapore. The strike has not affected the water supply yet in the areas. Each lorry operates up to five trips daily and the demand is expected to increase by April.
Members point out that they have to travel 15 km to source water but have not increased the price of tanker loads. While a minimum of ₹1,200 is charged for a 12-kl tanker load, a tanker load of 24 kl capacity can cost up to ₹2,000. Saravanan, the association’s treasurer, said water was being sourced from places such as Medavakkam, Thiruporur, Mambakkam and Ponmar.
Long-pending demand
“We are only sourcing groundwater at a depth of 30-40 feet in shallow wells. We have been seeking licences for several years now from the district administration. But our lorries keep getting seized and fines levied without licences being issued,” he said.
The association is carrying on talks with the district administration and plans to continue the strike until their demands are met.
