Sheer waste: Drinking water gushing out of a leaking pipeline forming a pool near Lotus Tank on Alagarkoil Road in Madurai on Sunday. | Photo Credit: R_ASHOK more-in Every day for the past 30 days, water gurgles out of a small hole and goes waste on the arterial Alagarkoil Road near Lotus Tank junction. M. Shiekh Masthan, president of Viswanathapuram Residents’ Welfare Association, who walks past the spot every morning, said despite repeated complaints to the Corporation authorities, no action had been taken. P. Vinoth, a resident of Manmalai Medu, said the water begins leaking around 4.30 a.m. and does not stop till the afternoon. This Sunday has been the worst. “Usually the water stagnates in front of a nearby hospital. Today, however, the water has flowed till K. Pudur bus stand. At least four tanker-loads of water should have been wasted,” he said. Mr. Masthan has complained thrice to the Corporation through its WhatsApp helpline. “It is useless as there is no updates on follow-up measures. The redressal mechanism is dysfunctional. The WhatsApp complaint system does not generate a complaint number, making it difficult to lodge an official complaint. This problem should have been rectified within 48 hours. It has been close to 40 days now,” he says. A. Marianthony Dass, president of Manmalai Medu Residents’ Welfare Association, said, “Nobody wants to take responsibility. The local body does not care about a precious resource going waste.” The irony is that residents of this ward get water once in four days. Mr. Masthan said though the rest of the city received water supply on alternate days, Pudur continued to be haunted by water crisis. An Corporation official said the pipeline was connected to the main water pumping station in Arasaradi. “The line falls under Ward 47 (Reserve Line). We have informed the higher officials in the engineering department. Only when the main station shuts down, the leak in the pipeline can be fixed. We hope to do the work soon,” the official said.

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