TIRUCHY: Adding to the difficulties brought about by the lockdown, Tiruchy has been rocked by a drinking water shortage. Several dealers distributing packaged drinking water cans have halted services. Over 80 per cent of supplier who regularly drop off cans at homes and shops have not been visiting for the past few days.
With more than 75 per cent of residents dependent on private water dealers, the shortage has left people searching for alternatives.
"Till last week, our dealer used to deliver cans at least once every three or four days and we used to manage accordingly. But now, we have not heard from him for the last couple of days. With no other option, we are now checking if we could refill water from nearby shops or dealers' homes," said Ravichandran, a resident. Those residing in areas under containment are facing the most difficulty, as they cannot even look for alternatives elsewhere, "While other area residents can go out and wait for supply from the dealer, we have no option other than to use water supplied by the Corporation. Though we get Corporation drinking water every day, we do not use it as it contains high amounts of bleach. We have no choice but to drink it," said a resident living in a containment area in Woraiyur.
On the other hand, though many dealers have stopped supplies completely, a few continue to provide water cans to their customers by distributing them at odd hours. "Despite being a part of essential services, we continue to face problems with officials. With no other option, we have now started distributing cans early in the morning after discussing timings with households the previous day. This way, we are able to avoid police scrutiny and also supply water to residents," said a water dealer distributing cans in the city.