Reduce tanker supply to commercial establishments, say residents

They demand that supply to households be made a priority

Rising demand: A file picture of Metrowater tanker lorries at the Royapuram filling point.

With summer round the corner, the demand for drinking water supply through tankers is steadily on the rise in the city.

Residents now demand that Chennai Metrowater supply water through tankers to households on a priority basis and reduce the supply of treated water to commercial establishments.

Commercial establishments use their own transport to source water at a lower rate of ₹60 per kilolitre from Chennai Metrowater. Nearly 20 per cent of the total tanker supply is provided to lorries operated for commercial establishments, including hotels and construction firms, officials said.

Residents of various areas such as Adyar note that it was becoming cumbersome to book tanker water supply on payment and there was a slight delay due to demand. V.R. Gopal, a resident of Anna Nagar, said he had to wait for one or two days to get tanker water supply and sometimes had to visit the area or depot office for hassle-free booking.

At present, about 4,400 tanker trips are being operated daily. Chennai Metrowater has hired nearly 530 tankers to provide street supply and those who seek tanker supply on payment.

As the need for water tanker service is set to increase during summer, residents want the volume being provided to commercial establishments reduced so that domestic consumers can benefit.

At some filling points in central Chennai, a minimum of 200 private lorries source drinking water daily. According to lorry operators, normally, such trips to commercial establishments are reduced during drought.

Meanwhile, private lorry operators in some parts of the city too have witnessed a slight increase in number of trips. Nearly 100 more private lorries have started plying in the Poonamallee-Madhavaram belt.

At present, these private operators charge up to ₹1,200 for 12-kl capacity lorry load. They note that the price has not been hiked so far due to sufficient groundwater resources in Madhavaram, Cholavaram and Poonamallee belt.