CHENNAI: After the 2015 floods, the residents of Kannamapet have stopped getting piped water supply from Chennai Metro Water, increasing their dependency on private water tankers. Officials said that due to decreased availability, water is being pumped at low pressure because of which few areas which were previously supplied with Metro water are affected now.
Majority of Kannamapet gets their daily supply of water through tankers or hand pumps while only a handful gets piped water for consumption. Streets like Hospital Road, Bharathi Street, Kaveri Nagar, Railway Border Street and surrounding areas which were previously supplied with Metro water through piped connections on alternate days, do not benefit from this anymore.
“Though we pay water tax and have proper internal pipe connections, hardly any water fills our sump. I have personally registered a series of seven complaints with Metro Water from February 2018 to August 2018. Yet, nothing has been done,” said Vipin Kumar, a resident of Hospital Road. “We cannot totally depend on tankers from Metro Water so we buy water from private tankers as well.
Also, very few houses have a bore well to draw water from. Last year, we suffered a lot because of this,” said Sudha Albert, another resident. Metro Water officials said that two sintex tanks had been fitted in each street which doesn’t get piped water. A total of 594 such tanks have been fitted in Zone 13 alone in streets which do not get Metro water through pipes.
When Express contacted officials from Metro Water, they said after monsoons, permission for road cut will be sought from the Chennai Corporation after which pipes will be linked to ensure steady water flow. “Two main water pipelines are present on New Boag Road. If the pipe on Hospital Road is linked to one of these pipes, water will flow through pipes to all houses in these streets. But, if we start work now, residents in the adjacent ward 141 will panic thinking their supply will be reduced,” said the official.