TIRUCHY: WITH the city’s outskirts reeling from water scarcity, plastic pots have now become a key household item. People travel on two-wheelers with the pots to fetch water from public taps at various places, which is now a normal morning scene in many villages.
The increased demand for plastic pots has led various manufacturing units in the city to step up production. “We used to manufacture about 700 pots every day. We have increased production of 12-litre and 18-litre pots to meet the growing demand. We are now making 1,000 to 1,200 pots every day. We are supplying them mostly to villages in the city outskirts and also Perambalur, Attur, Ariyalur and Dindigul,” said K Karthik, a plastic manufacturer based in Sangiliyandapuram.
“We have only a few manufacturers in Tiruchy. If demand increases, we would have to import pots from Coimbatore. In fact, people prefer these pots as they are lightweight and affordable. Currently, we charge about Rs 50 for a 12-litre pot and Rs 60 for an 18-litre one. These are the cheapest options available in the market. It costs Rs 370 for a 12-litre steel pot and Rs 1,000 for a 10-litre copper pot made of copper. We foresee demand for plastic pots increasing,” said M Jawahar, a plastic wholesale dealer in Gandhi Market.
Though the water crisis has not affected the city proper, market sources said there is a fear among residents of a looming scarcity and many are now storing water. While plastic pots are in demand in the outskirts, city residents prefer to use barrels. The barrels are being sold for Rs 700 and have a capacity of 250 litres. “There is not much demand for plastic pots in the city as the corporation is supplying sufficient water. The ongoing crisis has increased the demand for huge barrels as people are storing more water out of the fear the civic body would run out of water. Last year, only hoteliers used to buy such barrels, but now, residents are also purchasing them,” said T N Perumal, a plastic products dealer on Periya Kammala Street. Meanwhile, corporation officials have dismissed water scarcity fears. “We have sufficient water and our special team is monitoring supplies to each ward,” a senior corporation official said.