TIRUNELVELI/TENKASI: Residents of Anaiyappapuram village in Paruthipadu panchayat staged a protest for the second consecutive day on Monday by tying empty pots on a tree, demanding drinking water. The residents alleged that the officials were supplying drinking water to them just once in 15 or 20 days.
The residents engaged in a heated argument with the officials who went to their village to conduct a peace talk. "More than 500 people are residing in our village and most of us have drinking water connections under the Jal Jeevan Mission. However, we are not provided with enough water. We petitioned the district administration many times, but the officials did not take any steps to resolve the water scarcity issue," the villagers told media persons.
Alangulam residents demand clean water
In Tenkasi's Alangulam town panchayat, the residents alleged that they have been receiving contaminated drinking water under the Thamirabarani Combined Water Supply Scheme for the past few months.
"The water pipelines from Thamirabarani river are leaking at many places. The officials of the Tamil Nadu Water Supply and Drainage (TWAD) Board are not taking the issue seriously. After defecating in the open, many people wash themselves using the leaked-out water. The same water then reenters the pipelines and gets supplied to us. Also, the contractors assigned by the TWAD Board are supplying the polluted Thamirabarani water directly to us. They are operating the infiltration wells just for namesake," the residents alleged.