Chennai
Despite claims by Chennai Metro Water Supply and Sewerage Board (CMWSSB) that there is enough water in the water bodies to meet the drinking water needs till summer, Tamil Nadu Water Supply and Drainage Board (TWAD), which is supplying water to the residents in suburbs, is struggling as there are no new sources of water.
Residents living in the city, who have no Metro Water connection are complaining that water tanks placed in open places are not being filled up with water and they need to wait a long time for water tankers. The Metro Water board, which already assured that more number of water tanks would be placed in open places to mitigate drinking water scarcity, is yet to take up such works, residents alleged.
“Metro Water board is stopping water supply on the pretext that they are carrying out maintenance works. This is happening, whenever the water levels fall in the lakes,” said K Rajendran, a resident of Tondiarpet.
Meanwhile, TWAD, which is the responsible for supplying water to the south suburbs, finds it difficult to supply drinking water continuously. Residents complain that they receive water only once in a week or 10 days.
P Viswanathan, Convener, Chitlapakkam Residents Association Coordination Committee, told DTNext, “We are always at the receiving end. It is our long pending demand that Metro Water supply be extended to suburbs, but the officials concerned turn a deaf year. Though the civic body officials assured us water can be drawn from any one of the Metro Water lakes- Chembarambakkam, Poondi (reservoir), Cholavaram or Red Hills, it is not happening.”
When asked, Shenbagarajan, Executive Officer (EO), Chitlapakkam town panchayat, said “As of now, there is no water scarcity, to a large extent. However, there is a possibility of water shortage during summer and we have sent a proposal to the government to identify borewells to tap water,” he said. TWAD was also instructed to supply water without interruption, he added.
Meanwhile, the CMWSSB has, in the second phase, identified around 200 agricultural borewells for renting in Tiruvallur district. “As of now, there is no water shortage in the city and we are stopping supply in some areas only during maintenance works,” said a senior official, CMWSSB. Krishna water supply is also flowing and there is no panic about water supply, he claimed.
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