CHENNAI: On the third day of the strike by private water tankers, residents, IT hubs and hospitals mainly along the OMR stretch had exhausted the water they had been saving since Monday. Also, a few malls in the city downed their shutters on Wednesday.
Several IT companies sent circulars to all their employees to judiciously make use of water, while some asked a few departments to work from home or other branches if the strike continued.“Those who need not remain in the office to carry out their work like members from the administration and in support departments have been asked to work from home from tomorrow if the strike continues. Also, some have been asked to work from other branches in Chennai or offices from other cities till the problem is solved,” said an employee from Cognizant.
Meanwhile, the Business Continuity Planning departments of some companies implemented contingency plans to manage the crisis at hand. “Only one bathroom in each floor is made functional. Water to kitchens also has also been reduced. Most companies have stopped using steel plates and are now using disposables to save water. Also, I got to know that the swimming pool at Infosys will be closed for a week,” said an employee at a major IT hub on OMR.
The next worst hit were hotels and small eateries as most do not have access to private borewells. “We purchase 10,000 litres of water once in two days for `1,300. The last load we received on Monday will be over by tonight,” said Sivanandam, owner of Sri Selva Hotel in Thoraipakkam.
Eateries were not opting to procure water from Metro Water as they were uncertain as to when the lorry would turn up. “They prioritise supply of water to hospitals and IT firms. Though I booked a tanker on Monday night, I didn’t receive any supply,” said Sethuraman, owner of Shree Kumaran Restaurant in Perungudi, before the strike was called off.
Hostels and PG accommodations located on OMR too struggled. “We are using water from the borewell presently. But this will not last for long. Our hostel houses 200 people and we have enough water to only wash our faces. Because of this, some are temporarily moving to other parts of the city,” said Sivanpillai, manager of Silicon Valley, which houses four men’s hostels at Thoraipakkam.
On the other hand, though residents of gated communities and apartment complexes resorted to several methods to minimise usage of water, including by using harvested rainwater, implementing a water rationing system etc, they were still facing a severe water crisis if the strike had continued. “I have only three pots of water left to be used till tomorrow morning,” said Dr S Sakthi, a resident of Olympia Opaline flats in Navalur.