CHENNAI: Alliammal is a waterpreneur, whose model many in the city are trying to replicate. Though her family has been doing this business for about a decade, the recent water shortage in the city has made her ‘business model’ worth emulating.
Every day Alliammal buys 12,000 litres of water from tankers and stores it the sump of her house in MKB Nagar. Between 8am and 9pm, close to 200 people in the neighbourhood buy water from her for Rs 7 a pot. The success of her model has inspired many residents in the neighbourhood to replicate her business. Residents say that despite Metro Water tankers supplying water once in two days, there is a dearth in areas such as Vyasarpadi, MKB Nagar and Tondiarpet.
Alliammal took over this business started by her husband after his death a few years ago. “We have been selling water for the last 10 years. Ever since the water shortage became severe, many shops have sprung up,” says Aliammal. “Women no longer need to stay awake for hours in the night, waiting for water tankers. People also do not miss work, because I have stocked water round-the-clock.”
A few kilometres away, in areas such as Washermanpet and Sowcarpet, a handful of shops switched businesses and sell water now. Similarly, residents too are trying their hand to make a few bucks and help people tide over the water crisis. When Express visited MKB Nagar there were a total of five such setups and a few more were trying to begin the same. Despite the social benefit, Alliammal says she has faced several problems from local authorities.
Five years ago, she was asked to stop the business by police. They even seized the tankers supplying water to her. “A week ago, Metro Water cut my connection suspecting I was selling the water supplied by them. They dug up the road and found that my connection was a legal one. Still, they have not restored my supply. Though I have a certificate from the city Corporation for water quality, I constantly face troubles,” she says.
Another resident selling water in the area refused to speak fearing official repercussions. Locals, however, say the quality of water is better than other sources.
“Water from the hand pumps are mostly brown in colour and in a few streets it is even contaminated by sewage. Food cooked with water from these shops do not spoil and taste just like packaged water cans,” says Sumathi of 13th cross street at MKB Nagar. Officials are, however, sceptical. Even a slight contamination in water supplied by new ventures, they say, can cause the outbreak of an epidemic.
A senior Metro Water official said though such setups are not illegal, it is mandatory for them to get a licence or an authentication certificate from Chennai Corporation. “Officials will test the water quality and check if it is potable. It is not advisable for people to buy water from shops that do not have this certificate. If people want to run such enterprises, they must get a licence from the corporation,” an official said.