With private water tankers in south Chennai staying off the roads for the third day on Wednesday, residents, particularly those along the IT Corridor, have been severely affected without adequate water supply.
As many areas along the Rajiv Gandhi Salai and East Coast Road are yet to be covered by Chennai Metrowater’s piped water supply network, people living in large apartment complexes and gated communities rely heavily on private water tankers.
Nearly 1,200 private tankers have stayed off the roads since Monday, seeking issue of licences as well as withdrawal of fines on lorries seized on the grounds of indiscriminate groundwater drawal.
With the groundwater turning saline in localities, particularly those close to the South Buckingham canal, apartment complexes are fast running dry of resources. Residents said that while they were informed of the strike, they were unable to manage after the second day.
Riaz Ahmed, secretary, TVH Svasti Residents Welfare Association, Thoraipakkam, said several residents had started using packaged drinking water for all their needs. Groundwater is saline and it serves only 10-15% of their requirement. “We buy five tanker loads daily. Some residents are considering moving out to other areas until the situation improves,” he added.
Many large companies with lakhs of employees too have exhausted water sources. “Several companies along Rajiv Gandhi Salai have no choice than to close on Thursday until a solution is arrived at,” said K. Purushothaman, senior director, NASSCOM.
Meanwhile, private water tankers plan to continue their protest until their demands are met. N. Nijalingam, president of South Chennai Private Water Tanker Operators Welfare Association, complained that it was a recurring issue. “We want written permission to draw water from wells,” he said.
One month’s time given
Sources in the Kancheepuram district collectorate said that action was taken against five lorries as they had violated a Madras High Court order against over-extraction of groundwater in Polacheri. Private water tankers have been given a month’s time to apply for licences from the Water Resources Department and the district administration would help them get licences.
