Pvt tankers illegally extract water from closed cotton mill

The residents claim that this practice has been continuing every summer. “The private tankers were illegally pumping water from the site last year also. We are disappointed that this is continuing despite registering several complaints with the authorities concerned,” said a resident.

Indira Cotton mills, from where that water is extracted, was shut down a decade ago. However, the owners of private tankers identified a 600-feet borewell located inside the facility.

The indiscriminate drawing of water from the well has resulted in a dip in the groundwater level in the areas abutting the facility, which includes State Bank of India Colony, Krishna Nagar, Padmanaban Nagar, Iyappa Nagar, Jaya Nagar, Muthulakshmi Nagar, Gajalakshmi Colony, Nehru Nagar and Thiru Vi Ka Nagar.

The general secretary of Shankarlal Jain Street Welfare Association, R Ravishankar, said, “The residents around Nehru Nagar are facing acute water shortage. They are completely dependent on the private water tankers. We are purchasing water for at least Rs 1,400 on a weekly basis. But some private firm are pumping water from the borewell and selling it for a good sum elsewhere.”

Another resident said, “We are at least shelling out Rs 8,000 for the purchase of water. Due to this, we have to cut down our regular expenditure including the education and grocery among the others.”

An engineer with the Pallavaram Municipality said, “We received a complaint from a resident regarding the matter. The complaint has been forwarded to Revenue Divisional Officer (RDO), who is responsible to check illegal extraction of water.”