Slum residents complain of erratic water supply

Sources said that the city is already reeling under broiling heat and the residents, particularly those living in slums, get water once in three days. Worse still, the Metro Water Board is likely to aim at revenue, as they supply water to the residents who pay on priority.

Several residents, who have metro water connection, on calling up the officials to complain about improper supply, were asked pay.

“We have metro water connection, but have not received water for the last two days. When we contacted the officials, we were informed that workers were carrying out some repairs. However, he dropped a hint that water can be supplied if we paid money,” said K Ramesh, a resident of Valasaravakkam. He also raised suspicion that the metro water board was using summer as an opportunity to provide water only for those who were ready to pay.

Meanwhile, residents living in slums have been left in a lurch. “The Metro Water tankers are not filling up water in tanks set up in open places. Moreover, we receive water only once in two to three days. If this situation persists, we will soon stage a protest with empty pots,” said A Dhanapal, a resident of Old Washermenpet. His family is completely dependent on metro water as they could not afford water from private tankers. 

When contacted, a senior Metro Water Board official said that they were supplying water to all areas, particularly slums.

“We have increased the number of water tankers to ensure uninterrupted supply and tanks are also being filled up at regular intervals,” the official said. 

He denied the allegations that they were focusing on revenue and maintained that the department informed the residents while carrying out maintenance works.