Vardah-hit tanks not replaced; Residents left high and dry

Sources said along with several thousands of trees, a large number of water tanks were also uprooted by Cyclone Vardah, in different parts of the city on December 12 last. Residents in various pockets, who do not have metro water connection and depend only on water tanks, lament that they need to walk long distance to fetch water. 

Soon after the cyclone havoc the Metro Water Board assured to replace the damaged water tanks across the city. But on the ground, nothing happened and the assurance remained only in words. 

Residents from Chintradripet, Tondiarpet, Tiruvottiyur and most parts of north Chennai complained that they are now being forced to wait for  hours for the tanker lorries to come as the tanks in their localities have been blown away. 

“The water war has already begun in our area. Since water tanks have been damaged during cyclone, we need to depend on water tankers, which arrive once in three or four days,” complains M Rajendran, a resident of Tondiarpet. Realising the intensity of the situation, the officials should initiate measures on a war-footing and address the issue immediately before summer arrives,  he added. 

Some low-income group families lamented that they have been forced to buy water cans and use it for all purposes, including washing. 

“Post-Vardah, officials promised to provide new water tanks, but even after a month, nothing has moved. So, we go searching for water in nearby areas where there are water tanks. This sometime leads to quarrel near the tanks, as the local crowd there points to jurisdiction and the requirement of residents of that area,” said A Kannan of Arunachalam Nagar in Chintradripet. 

When contacted, a senior official from CMWSSB claimed that they had started replacing the damaged water tanks zone by zone. “As far as placing new water tanks are concerned, we are in the process of identifying sites where population is considerably high,” the official said, adding, “if there is any problem, residents can approach the officials of their respective zones.” 

Another official maintained that the board was operating around 500 metro water tankers and large tanks in different locations are being filled in regular intervals. However, there may be interruption in supply during maintenance works.