Ahead of summer, Pallavaram Municipality reduces water supply

According to the residents, the local body was supplying water once a week till the end of January. “This has changed for worse following the Municipality started supplying water only once in 10 days. We are certain that things are going to be worse this summer,” said the Federation of Pallavaram Residents’ Welfare Association Secretary, C Murugaiyan.

Last year, the residents were dependent on the private water tankers till the end of September. “The cost of living in the suburbs are touching new highs with the looming water scarcity. The families are largely affected due to this. For so long the residents have been purchasing 5,000 litre of water for Rs 800 and the water quality was inferior. Hence for drinking purposes, we have been purchasing bubble tops,” said a resident of Chrompet, Suganya.

The residents receive water under the Alandur-Pallavaram Integrated Water Supply scheme. However, the residents claim that the local body is supplying water to the neighbouring areas including Chitlapakkam and MEPZ.

According to officials, the local body fills nearly 5 lakh litre of water at various tanks on a regular basis. “Some tanks are of huge capacity like the one present in the NGO colony in Chromepet, from which the water is being supplied till Nemilcherry,” said an official.

An official from Pallavaram Municipality said, “We are planning to bring water from the abandoned quarries to meet the water needs of the residents. At present, we have sent the samples to the State laboratory after which it will be purified to make it a potable water and this scheme will be implemented very soon.”