With 38 packaged drinking water units sealed in the district and the rest four units only functioning, people purchasing water in cans at the 20 Community Drinking Water Centres in the city has gone up by four-fold times in the past one week.
Following the Madras High Court order, Public Works Department officials had sealed 38 of the total 42 packaged drinking water units in the district that were functioning without no objection certificate for drawing ground water for commercial purpose.
These units supply 60,000 water cans, each 20 litre, during normal season and over one lakh water cans during summer season. Four units that currently function could meet the entire demand as their capacity is limited.
Hence, the demand for packaged drinking water has picked up in the city and in towns across the district.
The corporation has provided land for the private company that is vested with the responsibility of building, designing and operating the centre at its own cost. As many as 20 centres were established across the city that were functioning from April last selling protected drinking water at ₹ 1 a litre and ₹ 7 for 20 litre. These centres function round-the-clock and card holders can refill their cans when needed.
R. Ashok of Kollampalayam said that can water supply was stopped completely for the past four days and they are unwilling to purchase cans at huge cost. “We can manage with the water purchased from the centre”, he said who wanted the restriction on getting water to be eased at least till summer is over. Another resident in Edayankattu Valasu said that as summer season is expected to be intense, the demand for water will also be on the rise and wanted at least two cans to be supplied to households every day.
Corporation Commissioner M. Elangovan told The Hindu that normally 150 to 200 water can is sold at each centre everyday which has increased to 650 to 750 cans per centre in the past few days.
He said that the civic body has plans to establish 40 more centres in the coming years so that all the 60 wards have one centre supplying protected drinking water to the people.