CHENNAI: Come rain or shine, there is no end to the woes of people living in Perumbakkam resettlement colony. Be it lack of infrastructure, leaky roof or other civic issues, the going has been tough for residents who were relocated from different slums in the city. Now, many are suffering from water-borne disease.Prema’s three-year-old son’s belly is covered with black spots. Three months ago, when the quality of water at her block was at its worst, many children and women developed such rashes. Though, the water now looks and tastes better, many in blocks 38 till 80, suffer from constant stomachaches, loose motions and sore throats.
“Sometimes we find worms in the tap water. I cook and clean only with canned water. Sometimes water is good for days, but on other days we have to deal with these problems,” said Prema, who was relocated from KK Nagar two years ago. Water scarcity has also been a perennial problem. Though five MLD from Nemmeli desalination plant is provided to both, Perumbakkam and Semmencheri colonies, problems associated with distribution system makes supply irregular. Age-old pipes have fissures that lead to major leakages and contamination, claim residents.
“Though slum clearance board officials take `750 every month as maintenance, common places as well as overhead tanks are never cleaned. Because of this, water is usually contaminated,” said Rani K, a resident from block 65, who came from Otteri. Though the slum clearance board supplies water once in two days, residents have no idea as to what time water will be supplied. Because of this, many are unable to go for work. Children who often help their mothers fill water, also skip school.
“Sometimes, it comes at 8 am and sometimes at 1 pm. On Saturday, they released water at 12.30 pm. I had to ask an hour’s permission from work to fill water. Because of this, I am not able to retain a job. For senior citizens like me, it is a nightmare,” said Kannappan, a resident of block 64, who works as a security guard.Celebrating festivals is off the agenda for most because one never knows if there will be water to take bath. “After midnight mass on Christmas, I was banging on my neighbour’s door to get water to have a bath. People in other blocks did not celebrate Pongal because of water shortage. Many do not observe fasts during auspicious days,” said K Gracey, another resident.
Vanessa Peters, a policy researcher who closely works with resettled communities, said lack of a grievance redressal centre at the ground level was a major drawback. “Many departments are involved but there is lack of coordination. The slum clearance board office remains locked and people don’t know which door to knock. Blocks K and S are almost crumbling due to water leakage,” she added.A senior official from TNSCB said uncleaned overhead tanks was the main cause behind contamination and added maintenance wing will soon attend to it.
“Most pipes were laid only four years ago and are coated with cement on the inside. Each block’s association must take care of these issues. But interiors blocks from 40-80 have many problems. We will take this up with our maintenance wing,” added the official.
Water problem
When the quality of water at a block was at its worst, many children and women developed rashes. Though, the water now looks and tastes better, many suffer from stomach aches, loose motions