Chennai: To protest the government’s restriction on groundwater withdrawal, private water tanker owners began an indefinite strike Monday, forcing most of hotels and shopping malls to shut doors today and residential apartments suffer severe shortage of water.
According to sources, around 70 per cent of hotels were shut today and some popular malls, too, closed their doors. High-rises and other apartment complexes which depend on tankers for the daily water requirements of their residents bore the brunt today.
The Tamilnadu government, in a bid to protect groundwater sources, had imposed several restrictions on commercial water suppliers while withdrawing water.
Yuvaraj, a resident of Madanandapuram, said, “This morning, I saw about 50 water trucks on Outer Ring Road near Mudichur. They were all protesting the government move.”
According to reports, the Chennai Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (CMWSSB) supplies about four crore litres of water through tankers but the private tankers supply twice the amount.
Wahab, who owns a hotel at Pallavaram and also supplies water cans, said, “The government should have informed before taking the step to ban tankers from drawing groundwater. People’s lives depend on this. If it is a bus strike, we can at least find another means of transportation to reach our destination but water crisis like this will literally stop us from doing anything.”
He added that if the government had announced about the strike earlier, hoteliers across the city would have been prepared to face the shortage.
“The strike has just started and I wonder how long it will continue. The sooner the government decides, the better,” he said.
Another resident from Gerugambakkam, Rajiv, said, “Those who are in the city will face severe problems. In my home, I use a water purifier and some people in my locality also use well water for drinking purposes. But those who rely on water cans will be most affected. Only if the government takes immediate action to solve this issue, will the public be relieved. Or else, it may lead to severe shortage.”
Rain Centre director, Dr Sekar Raghavan, voiced his concern. “The northeast monsoon has not yet set in and groundwater has depleted badly. Naturally, people will go to commercial entities like the ones who sell bubble tops,” he explained. “The government should streamline the system. It should create policies and monitor groundwater levels,” he emphasised.
He spoke about the necessity to harvest groundwater. “Residents should also realise that water harvesting is very important. That realisation, unfortunately, has not come yet. Till now people take steps only when there is a crisis. That isn’t enough. If we had harvested well, the groundwater levels will improve and residents at such times will have something to fall back upon. Residents should no longer depend on the government for water. The time has come to be self-sufficient. People should wake up and harvest rainwater and use it for drinking purposes,” he urged.
He added that water and its management should be taken beyond mere utterances. “Unless we take care of our water sources like the way we love our children, water crisis will continue to affect the city,” he cautioned.
Photos: A R Jayakumar