Chennai feeling the heat from water woes

Chennai: Summer has set in early for the suburban residents who are already witnessing dwindling water supply. Even though localities under corporation limits have not faced the heat, South Chennai residents are forced to depend on private water tankers.

There is also an administrative dearth, as the special officers who took over the local and rural bodies are not approachable, lament residents. While residents in Alandur zone receive water once in two days, public from Pallavaram, Pammal and Anakaputhur get the supply, only once in 15 days.

Palavanthangal awaits JNNURM scheme
The Alandur zone, which was a beneficiary of Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) experience no scarcity, except for a few left over areas. Under the scheme, Rs 67 crore was granted to the locality to replace the faulty pipes, said the zonal officer, admitting that works have to be completed in few streets in Palavanthangal.

Social activist, V Ramarao said, “Though the locality is benefited with metro water, faulty pipelines was the prime issue. It has been replaced in all the localities of the zone, except for 56 streets in Palavanthangal.”

Water bodies not de-silted: Chrompet residents
Demand for more overhead tanks to meet water scarcity is not met at Chrompet.
The municipality, which set a deadline of January 2016 to complete metro water works failed to meet the target, even after a year.

“A family needs to spend an additional amount of Rs 5,000 a month for water. If this is the case now, I am afraid of what we should go through in the summer,” said V Ramarao, President of federation of civic and welfare associations of Pallavaram. Reverse Osmosis plants set up here is not sufficient to the municipality.

If only the locality which is surrounded with water bodies including Pallavaram lake, Veeraraghavan lake and Kilkattalai lake are de-silted, ground water table would have been good, he added.

‘Not beneficiaries of RO water’
“There is no one to complain about water crisis, after special officers took over the functioning of local and rural bodies,” said Ravi Kumar, Pammal resident.
Palar water comes to their residents, only once in 8 days. Water from Reverse Osmosis plant in Pallavaram Municipality is supplied to parts of Pammal, but not to all the localities.

“We have been requesting to construct more over head tanks to meet the demand. Water is supplied only once in 15 days. We have to depend on private water tankers,” said D. Jayaseelan, a Pammal resident. “We are buying water of 12,000 litres, once in three days, to cater to our apartment with 7 houses,” he added.