Chennai: Kancheepuram has received excess rainfall with incidence of flooding in Mudichur and Perungalathur bringing back memories of 2015. But, despite its lakes brimming, several pockets in Kancheepuram are now suffering drinking water shortage.
During 2015, the state authorities announced flood mitigation projects and assured that drinking water sources will be augmented to meet the growing water shortage, but two years have passed without any major change.
The district records both flooding and water shortage and the paradox is due to official apathy. According to weather office sources, Kancheepuram has received over 25 per cent surplus rains this monsoon.
The usual rainfall for the season is around 397.8 mm rainfall and the district has received 548 mm of rainfall and this represents 151.77 mm increase in rainfall.
The irony is that the district administration sounded a flood alert to the villagers residing near Maduranthagam last week, but the villagers of Gandhi Nagar near Maduranthagam on Thursday staged a road roko demanding drinking water.
Police intervened and pacified the villagers by assuring water supply through lorries. Similar is the situation with Pallavaram that was once blessed with sprawling lakes.
The municipality with a population of 2.5 lakh residents provides drinking water to its residents only once in five days and in some wards the water is provided only once in a week. Pallavaram municipal officials admitting the shortage blamed the Tamil Nadu Water Supply board and the pending Pallvaram Chembarambakkam integrated drinking water scheme.
Pallavaram requires 1.20 crore litres of water per day and the actual supply is less than 40 lakh litres per day and the municipality requires '50 crore to repair its old pipelines, said a municipal official.
“Every monsoon our locality suffers flood and at the same time there is drinking water shortage in Chengalpet and Maduranthagam”, said R. Amalraj, former councillor of Chengalpet municipality.
“Special officer P Amudha during 2015 floods wanted to demolish the encroachments near water bodies and she came out with solutions but most of the suggestions were left in lurch due to political interventions”, said D. Vijiyakumar, a local resident of Lakhsmipuram. “Very little has been done since 2015 to handle floods and the Pappan canal works are still pending”, he added.
