Tiruthangal
Scores of residents of K.K. Nagar staged a road roko on Sivakasi-Virudhunagar highway at Tiruthangal protesting against lack of regular water supply for nearly nine days, on Monday.
Police officials pacified the agitators, mostly women, who squatted on the road with empty water pots seeking immediate supply of water. The women complained that water that was supposed to have been supplied on Friday had not been supplied till date.
Tiruthangal municipality that has been facing severe water shortage has been supplying piped water only once in five days. While damage in underground pipeline is said to have failed the water supply the women wanted the municipality to provide drinking water at least through tankers.
Tiruthangal Municipal Commissioner, M. Swaminathan, said that water to some 1,300 houses KK Nagar was scheduled for regular supply on Friday. However, when workers employed by Tamil Nadu Water Supply and Drainage Board that has been executing the Tamirabarani Combined Drinking Water Scheme dug the road for laying new pipeline, damaged the existing water line on Thursday.
“We found this damage only on Friday when water started leaking underground. Immediately, the supply to the line was stopped. We requested the TWAD Board officials to set the pipeline right on the same day. But, till date, it has not been looked into,” he said.
Referring to the protest, Mr. Swaminathan said that he had instructed municipal officials to plug the leak in the pipeline so that regular water supply to the area resumed by Monday evening.
“With no independent water source, we are not able to supply water through tankers,” he said.