Muddy water from handpump vexes residents

The water from the hand pump, which they are dependent on for drinking, cooking and other household purposes, is muddy and has a foul smell,” said L Surya, a resident of Tiruvottiyur High Road Third Lane.

“In the beginning, we didn’t notice that the water was contaminated. But soon, my family fell sick after consuming the water,” she added.

When they raised the same complaint a month ago, Metro Water officials had checked and found that the sewage pipe was damaged by the internet cable. It took more than 10 days for them to identify and fix the problem. But the water is not potable, residents said.

“Now, we are forced to buy drinking water paying at least Rs 100 to Rs 150 every alternate day. Though we have given multiple complaints to the officials, they are yet to fix the issue,” added Nasreen M, another resident of the street.

Speaking to DT Next, a senior official from Chennai Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board, Tondiarpet zone, said, “Recently, we had solved a major issue in the area. But we are yet to identify this issue. We will ensure that the problem is fixed soon.”