Mosques dig deep to find donations to buy water in Chennai

CHENNAI: Fayaz Ali, a committee member of a mosque in Choolaimedu, had never thought he would ask people to wash their hands and legs at home before coming to the mosque to offer their prayers.

Toilets at the mosque, which were previously open to all throughout the day, are now kept open only during the time of prayer for limited persons. As the borewells have long run dry, the management is forced to buy water at exorbitant rates from private tankers. And one load of water lasts only for two days.
This is the current scenario that a majority of mosques in the city are facing due to the acute water shortage. In Islam, people are mandated to cleanse themselves with clean water before offering prayers. Hence, making water available in mosques is crucial.

Small and medium mosques are the worst hit as they don’t have sufficient funds to buy water from private tankers. As a result, they are asking regulars at the mosque for donations, especially to meet monthly water expenses. Fayaz says never before they faced such a severe crisis.