CHENNAI: Residents of Periyar Nagar and Gandhi Nagar in Taramani say they have been receiving foul and brackish water mixed with sewage for nearly a year, forcing many families to depend on canned water even for their daily needs.
The problem has worsened in recent weeks, residents said, culminating into a protest near the Chennai Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board office in Ward 178 on Wednesday.
They also raised complaints over damaged roads and the delay in replacing ageing drinking water and sewer pipelines. “The water is very often brown or black. We cannot use it even for routine household purposes and are forced to buy canned water,” residents told TNIE.
Kumaran N (23), a resident of Periyar Nagar, said repeated complaints over sewage contamination has not brought a lasting solution. Ongoing stormwater drain works in parts of Gandhi Nagar has damaged drinking water pipelines at some locations, allowing sewage to enter the supply network, he said. Residents also said many of the drinking water and sewer lines in the neighbourhood were old and needed replacement. They complained that several roads have not been relaid for years.
Ward councillor S Baskaran said a `200 crore project to revamp drinking water and sewerage pipelines across Taramani, including Periyar Nagar and Gandhi Nagar, had been tendered out and work orders were issued about a year ago under the Jal Jeevan Mission, but work was yet to begin.
“The pipelines are around 40 years old. CMWSSB officials are now saying the work will begin in October, but with the monsoon approaching, residents are worried about further delay,” he said.
Baskaran said the existing network was also under pressure from the area’s growing population and the increase in paying-guest accommodation. The old pipelines are inadequate to meet present drinking water and sewage volume in the area.
He urged the government to expedite the project, saying around 33,000 residents depend on the network.
