CHENNAI: As residents of the Tamil Nadu Slum Clearance Board tenements in Perumbakkam don’t receive water at home, they go to fetch it directly from sumps. This has caused several accidents. On most days, one can see residents gathered around a sump, at least 15-feet deep, to fetch water in pots.
In November, a two-year-old boy fell into the sump when his mother was fetching water. It was pure luck that he suffered only minor injuries, say residents. “Fortunately, the sump didn’t have much water that day; so we could pull him out,” said Prasanth, a resident of Perumbakkam.
Despite the accidents, residents flock to the sump. “There is no other option. We can’t leave the children alone at home so we bring them here. If we get enough water (at home), why would we put ourselves through this trouble?” asked G Mary, a resident.
Express had earlier reported that students of the Perumbakkam Primary School use water directly from the sump to wash themselves and their lunch boxes, without adult supervision. After the report, the sump was closed.
Residents say they can’t get water from Metro Water tankers since they don’t cater to the area. When contacted, officials of the slum board said they have been regularly carrying out awareness programmes to help residents learn the dangers of fetching water directly from the sump.