Residents of Chromepet, Hasthinapuram, Keezhkattalai and Pallavaram seem to have been hit hard by the irregular supply of Palar water. Earlier, water was supplied to residential areas once in two days. From February, the supply has reduced to once in a week.
Residents say if waterbodies had been rejuvenated, this situation could have been averted.
S. Srimathy, a senior citizen and a long-time resident of Hasthinapuram, says, “The groundwater level has depleted a lot and the wells have gone dry. We are forced to buy can water for cooking and drinking purposes. For other purposes, we buy water from tankers and store it in sumps. This is quite expensive; we spend at least Rs.6,000 per month to buy tanker water regularly.”
P. Vijay, an environmental activist, says, “Steps were not taken by the Water Resources Department (WRD) to desilt and deepen Veeraraghavan lake, Pallavaram Periya Eri and Thiruneermalai Eri in the neighbourhood. Had they done this work, this crisis would have been averted. Moreover, rainwater harvesting (RWH) systems and stormwater drains were not constructed properly. Additionally, encroachments in lake areas and water channels, illegal disposal of garbage and discharge of sewage have not been checked.”
The activist says that steps must be taken to construct RWH pits, which help recharge the groundwater table and improve the quality of water during monsoon. “Several representations to WRD authorities to construct additional recharge wells in the waterbodies and check-dams in Palar river have gone in vain. During monsoon, rainwater from waterbodies flows into the sea; instead, it should flow into Pallikaranai marsh, which is possible only with interlinking of waterbodies,” says V. Santhanam, a resident of Chromepet.
