MADURAI: Pump operators working in various panchayats across Madurai raised concerns over the poor condition of staircases and ladders leading to overhead water tanks (OHTs), saying the damage is making routine chlorination and cleaning work difficult and unsafe.
CITU-Madurai (Rural) secretary Pon Krishnan said, “Maintaining OHT in rural areas is difficult because its elevation creates severe accessibility issues. Cleaning is also a safety risk, as the operator has to get inside and remove the silt whenever needed.”
Krishnan added that the steel ladders provided for accessing several OHTs had become rusty. Besides, many concrete stairs have broken in OHTs in Usilampatti, Chellampatti and Sedapatti, he pointed out.
A pump operator said their routine involved switching the water pumps on and off at scheduled times, generally in the early morning and evening, to supply water to local communities. “Most pump operators are aged between 40 and 50 years and receive a monthly honorarium of only Rs 2,500 to Rs 4,000. Climbing the stairs is already difficult for them, and the condition becomes worse when the stairs are damaged or broken. As a result, the stairs of nearly one in five OHTs in the district have become unusable,” the operator said.
Health department staff said the problem was not confined to remote villages. Broken or dilapidated OHT stairs have also been reported in areas such as Rajakkur, Sakkimangalam and Thiruvathavur, which are located closer to Madurai city.
An official from the Panchayat and Rural Development Department in Madurai said there were around 4,000 OHTs across seven blocks and taluks in the district.
“The funds required for chlorination and cleaning of OHTs are handled through the pump operators. However, maintenance is not carried out regularly in many OHTs, and such works are often taken up using local panchayat funds. Hence, we do not have an exact number of OHTs with broken or dilapidated stairs,” the official said.
The official added that the department would conduct a survey across Madurai district to assess the condition of the OHTs and allocate appropriate funds based on the findings.