CHENNAI: Residents of Sembakkam in Ward 42 of the Tambaram Corporation are facing a severe drinking water shortage, forcing many families to purchase water cans and tanker water for their daily needs.
This has understandably irked the residents, with many of them noting that while taxes are collected regularly, basic civic amenities are not being adequately maintained.
The shortage has affected areas such as State Bank Colony, Ranga Colony, Anna Street, Emmanuel Street and West Kamarajapuram, which together have more than 500 families.
Residents said the corporation had provided household water connections, public taps and water storage tanks with borewell facilities for the locality. However, these facilities are now failing to meet the needs, resulting in a major water crisis.
Earlier, water was being supplied once every two days through household connections, though irregularly. But in the recent weeks, even that supply has stopped, the residents noted. "For nearly 20 days, water has not been supplied through the pipelines. On the few occasions when water arrives, it is insufficient and often mixed with mud, making it unusable," they said.
Two storage tanks with borewell connections and electric motors had been installed in State Bank Colony as emergency sources of water. However, residents said the borewell pumps and motors have remained non-functional for the past three months, leaving the tanks unused.
Due to this crisis, many families have been forced to purchase drinking water from private suppliers at their own expense, even before the peak summer season has begun.
Despite repeated complaints to the corporation officials about the shortage, no effective action has been taken so far, alleged residents. With the Assembly election approaching, they said they plan to question political parties visiting the area for votes about the steps they would take to resolve the crisis.
Meanwhile, officials from Tambaram Corporation’s Zone 3 said the locality receives water supply from Madambakkam. As the water level in the source dropped, it has resulted in supply disruptions. They added that steps were being taken to repair damaged electric motors and to address complaints that some households with water connections were illegally using electric motors to draw excess water from the pipelines.