Residents of Thiruchinankuppam, a fishing hamlet near Tiruvottiyur, have been complaining of getting oil contaminated water from their borewells.
“We have been getting oil-contaminated groundwater from Friday. Our storage tanks had oil and we cleaned them on Sunday. But despite that the smell of oil remains in the water. We cannot use it for cooking, drinking or household chores,” said Meena, a resident.
President of the Thiruchinankuppam Fishermen’s Cooperative Society A. Madhan said they suspected that the oil seeped into the ground from oil mills in the surrounding. “We heard there was an accident in one of the mills last month. We want the water to be testedand cleaned,” he said.
Residents have preferred a complaint with the local police.
A U.S.-based oil clean-up expert said it was possible oil took a month to seep into water table.