Chennai: Private water tankers to rule over Old Mahabalipuram Road this summer too – Times of India

Residents of Thoraipakkam, Sholinganallur and other areas along Old Mahabalipuram Road (OMR), which were added to Greater Chennai Corporation more than a decade ago, will continue to be at the mercy of private tankers for drinking water this summer too.
Some of the water projects taken up in these areas are nearing completion, but supply through piped connections/ taps is likely to remain a non-starter.
This weren’t bad in the past two years as IT firms, commercial establishments and educational institutions were shut due to Covid-19, but many have started to reopen and water demand is expected to go up.

N Nijalingam, president of the Tamil Nadu Private Water Tanker Lorry Owners Association, said the demand had gone up by 20% since the first week of March. “Given the rising diesel prices and losses truckers faced during the lockdown, we plan to increase rates by ₹100 per load,” he said. Prices of packaged drinking water has gone up by ₹5 to ₹10 per can in some areas
Metrowater does supply through tankers, but the quantity is less compared to what private tankers do. And, private tankers are more convenient because Metrowater’s online registration-booking process is cumbersome, said Harsha Koda of the Federation of OMR Residents Association (FOMRRA).
“The worst part”, said Paritosh Bapat, secretary of Pebble Brooks Residents Welfare Association in Thoraipakkam, “is that we have been paying water tax for years even when we don’t have an active connection. ”
Many residents have even started getting reminders from the corporation to pay tax arrears. They say this is unfair as the pending amount is calculated from the time the building was approved and not from the day it was occupied/purchased.
Koda said he didn’t foresee a crisis this year as lakes are full. “But the newly-elected local body representatives have promised to close up the gaps within six months. ”
S Aravind Ramesh, Sholinganallur legislator, said SholinganallurKarapakkam and Pallikaranai Projects were completed and CMWSSB had begun providing connections to houses here from Nemeli desalination plant.
CMWSSB officials said that though 2% of work was pending regarding OMR-ECR linkages, they started providing connections to houses in areas where work was completed. Rames said that in Thoraipakkam, nearly 75% of the work on laying water pipes is completed and re-tenders floated for the rest. “Right now, two water tanks are being constructed and are expected to be commissioned within the next six months. ”