Pallavaram 'water contamination': An avoidable tragedy had Tambaram corpn done its duty, say residents

CHENNAI: Following the alleged contaminated water tragedy in Pallavaram, distressed families of the victims blame the civic body for the mishap that claimed two lives and denied the claims of ministers and officials who initially washed the blame off their hands.

Residents assert that they were supplied with inferior-quality water and that the hygiene in their respective houses did not cause the unfortunate event.

Fathima, a Kamaraj Nagar resident, said, “Four people close to my house were hospitalised on the same day. The water supplied by the corporation was brown, and we consumed it unaware of the contamination.”

Sandhya, another resident whose husband was suffering from vomit and diarrhoea, claimed that in the 20 years they have been consuming water supplied by the local body, this is the first time such an incident has happened. “We were not aware of the contamination.”

Social activist V Santhanam of Chromepet said, “When Pallavaram was under the Municipality, they made public announcements during rains through auto-rickshaws and alerted people to boil water before consuming them. The staff would also visit the house to check the water and issue chlorine tablets to use in the water tanks. After upgrading as a corporation, we haven’t heard any such announcement. The tragedy could have been averted if the Tambaram Corporation had done their duty properly.”

Residents claim they were happy under the Municipality as the local body displayed accountability and public queries and grievances were met, which is close to impossible under the corporation.

Health Minister Ma Subramanian visited the Chromepet GH on Thursday and said a group was formed under the district collector to investigate the issue. He announced that water samples have been collected for testing, and further action will be taken once the results arrive.