Pallavaram gets water supply from quarry to tackle scarcity

According to the officials, a temporary filter has been mounted, which is equipped with sand and gravels among the other components, to purify the water from the quarry. “It is a simple technique where water would be passed through the filter. The impurities would be deposited before releasing purified water at the other end. We have sent the samples from the filter for a laboratory test to ascertain its quality for consumption purposes. Currently, we are supplying water to meet their domestic needs. The water available in the quarry would last for another six months,” said Karuppiah Raja, the Municipal Engineer.

The civic body took this decision soon after a dip in the water level at 20 odd wells, which were the traditional water sources for Pallavaram Municipality for a long time. Currently, the Municipality is supplying 4 lakh litres of water combined from the wells and the quarry. “The water is being supplied via tanker lorries only. Even the water procured from the wells were supplied through the tankers,” said the official.

The civic body has identified three more abandoned quarries, including the ones in Tiruneermalai, Tirusulam and Kutcheri, located in and around the neighbourhood. “We have sent a proposal to the government who are yet to give their approval. It can be put to use only for the next summer,” said an official.

However, the residents claim that the water situation is becoming worse as many completely relying upon the private tankers.

“It has been more than a week since we received tanker water. Currently, we are completely relying on private trucks to meet our needs. If this situation persists, we are planning to stop paying taxes and avoid this election to show our resistance,” said C Murugaiyan, secretary of the Federation of Civic and Welfare Associations of Pallavaram Municipality.