Amma Kudineer faces summer heat

  • | Thursday | 20th June, 2019

As the Metro Water supply through tankers is considerably good in areas of north Chennai, the residents find a cost-effective alternative in that. ‘‘Though it doesn’t taste as good as the RO purified water, the Metro Water costs only `1 and we prefer buying that,’’ said Ilayaraja. Civic body at workCorporation officials said that there is added pressure on the Metro Water to supply drinking water to all parts of the city. ‘‘When there’s no piped water supply, we request water tankers to supply water,’’ the official said. About 50 Amma Kudineer outlets are in operation in the city and officials hope that water supply will improve once summer is over.

Omjasvin MD By Express News Service CHENNAI: Forty-six-year-old S Sasikala walks into the Amma Kudineer outlet on Wall Tax Road to fill up her two empty pots. But within minutes, she is turned away by the staff member who operates the outlet. There is no water available for the day. Residents of Tondiarpet, Royapuram, Korukkupet, Washermenpet and surrounding areas are reeling under severe water crisis situation. The water-ATMs in these localities have been facing the summer heat. ‘‘For the past two months, the Metro Water supply has been erratic and the supply has not been regular,’’ said the staff member who monitors the outlet on Wall Tax road. Outlets shut The water-ATMs are part of the Amma Kudineer scheme which offers Reverse Osmosis (RO) purified water, free of cost to economically weaker sections. Anybody who has a ration card can avail 20 litres of water daily using their water-ATM card. However, people who were once benefited by this scheme, now face the brunt. Arulmani D, a resident of Korukkupet, claims that the outlet in his area which was opened two years ago was shut down immediately and was again revived recently, but still served no purpose. ‘‘Water comes once in two or three days and when it doesn’t, we are pushed to buy Metro Water for drinking, which is sometimes chlorinated,’’ said the 39-year-old. Decreased supply The staff members, who monitor the outlets in Zone IV, admit that there has been a decrease in the water supply. ‘‘Till a few months ago, we received about 7,000-8,000 litres of water daily, but now it has come to 3,000 litres, and that too it is scarcely available,’’ said the staff member who monitors the outlet in Tondiarpet. Similarly, in Washermenpet, residents complain of technical glitches and even claim that the water-ATMs never worked for months in their locality.‘‘Of the two booths, one never worked. Moreover, this outlet has been dysfunctional for several months now,’’ said S Ilayaraja from Washermenpet. As the Metro Water supply through tankers is considerably good in areas of north Chennai, the residents find a cost-effective alternative in that. ‘‘Though it doesn’t taste as good as the RO purified water, the Metro Water costs only `1 and we prefer buying that,’’ said Ilayaraja. Civic body at work Corporation officials said that there is added pressure on the Metro Water to supply drinking water to all parts of the city. ‘‘It is true that supply has decreased considerably, but we still ensure that at least 5,000 litres of water are supplied to the water-ATMs,’’ said the official. Denying any technical glitches in the water-ATMs, officials said that piped water is being supplied every alternate day. ‘‘When there’s no piped water supply, we request water tankers to supply water,’’ the official said. About 50 Amma Kudineer outlets are in operation in the city and officials hope that water supply will improve once summer is over.

If You Like This Story, Support NYOOOZ

NYOOOZ SUPPORTER

NYOOOZ FRIEND

Your support to NYOOOZ will help us to continue create and publish news for and from smaller cities, which also need equal voice as much as citizens living in bigger cities have through mainstream media organizations.


Stay updated with all the Chennai Latest News headlines here. For more exclusive & live news updates from all around India, stay connected with NYOOOZ.

Related Articles