Representational Image. (File Photo)
CHENNAI: Residents of Sri Ram Nagar in Alwarpet, not far from the Chief Minister’s residence, have been dealing with contaminated drinking water for the last four days. As a result, a handful of them are suffering from diarrhoea.
Metro Water officials told TNIE that contamination is due to leakage from a storm water drain (that carries sewage in most areas). Water samples have been drawn for testing. Residents began noticing an odour since Sunday which grew into a stench over the next two days. Now, they have closed inlet valves and are disinfecting tanks to get rid of the smell. The locality houses over 200 residents.
Sandhya*, daughter of a 75-year-old suffering from diarrhoea, said, “The onset was sudden and coincided with the time we started noticing a stench in the water. In our apartment, a handful of residents are sick. If you clean water bottles with this, you won’t be able to drink from it because of the smell it leaves behind.”
“The issue rose after an underground pipe laying work was taken up in the area. We suspect the drinking water pipeline to have been punctured at that time,” said Karthik*, another resident. Last October, too, the area had experienced water contamination which was resolved after four weeks. Metro Water officials said the issue will be resolved in a day. “We have already identified the problem. The leakage is from a drain and we are in the process of plugging it,” the official said.
*(Names changed)
