Chennai: With power supply still remaining out of bounds for the people residing in the extended areas of the city corporation and suburbs, the water for household use including for toilet usage has become scarce and people can be seen roaming with plastic pots to fetch water, a sight that is common during summer months.
Most of the added areas and suburbs that does not have piped water supply connection, solely depends on borewell water pumped into the overhead tanks of their homes and flats to meet their daily water requirements. After the tanks have gone dry, the residents without power supply were not able operate their motor pumps to fill their tanks.
“The water tanks have become empty. We don’t have any water to drink or cook. The bubble top water cans are also not available in the shops as many people have started stocking it. Since we don’t have any water even to clean the used vessels, now we have no other option but to eat in the hotels,” said S. Lalitha, a resident of Urapakkam. Women are finding it difficult use toilets, as there is no water available for it, she noted. Residents in several cyclone hit areas were complaining of non-availability of bubble tops in the shops and dealers. “Our daily supplier is saying that he did not get any supply from the bubble top company. But the 20 litre water cans are being sold at a cost of Rs 100 as demand is very high,” said J. Stalin, a resident of Madipakkam.
Long queues were seen in front of public taps and hand pumps to fetch water in areas without power supply. “I went to fetch drinking water in two pots from a hand pump located in my street corners at 6.30 am today. To my surprise, there was a long queue of people waiting for their turn. It took more than an hour for my turn to fetch water,” said R. Manavalan, a resident of Lakshmipuram.
S. Ramkumar, a resident of Teacher’s Colony in Kolathur ,said that he had never faced a power outage for such a long duration. “Even during the last year’s flood, we did not face much difficulties. Our street was not flooded so we had power all the time except for few hours. We never thought this cyclone will be so severe uprooting several trees damaging the electricity poles,” he said adding that the government should have warned people to store essentials including water.
