Where safe drinking water is a distant dream

It is not just her four-member family, but hundreds of other women in the locality who carry out household chores, all the while dreading a sudden shortage in water supply.

The locality off Powder Mills Road has been meeting its water requirements with much difficulty for many years now. However, the issue has only been aggravated due to the the residents’ growing needs. “We had taps in all the streets until a few years ago. However, we soon got six to seven pumps installed along with two taps to meet the water requirements of the 450-odd families living across the ten streets here,” said Vasuki.

Besides, the residents complain the water they are supplied with to be smelly and coloured. “We get scared seeing the dark colour of the water, and fear contracting water-borne diseases, but we do not have a choice. We can’t make alternative arrangements as we neither have the time nor the money. This locality has daily labourers, auto drivers, and those engaged in shops. That means time and money are scarce [for the residents],” said a resident.

More than a year ago, the residents say they had approached the Chennai Metro Water Supply and Sewerage Board (CMWSSB) to get connections to their homes. “The assistant engineer for our locality told us that the water gets contaminated due to the proximity of the sewage drains. We have to follow up on our requests though,” said another resident.

A senior CMWSSB official admitted that such a connection was not feasible. “The streets in Gandhi Nagar are narrow and we cannot provide them with connections to their homes as a result. It would be better for them to avail the supply from the pumps and taps [instead].” The source added that the Board will look into the complaint on the water supply’s poor quality.