As mercury soars, Salem Central Prison provides water in mud pots

Salem Central Prison provides drinking water in mud pots to inmates, monitored by CCTV cameras to prevent misuse.

To provide its inmates respite from the scorching sun, the Salem Central Prison administration has arranged to provide drinking water in mud pots. The administration will also monitor the pots through CCTV cameras to prevent misuse.

There are 1,043 prisoners in Salem prison, including 190 convicts, 717 remand prisoners, and 88 prisoners detained under the provisions of the Goondas Act. The capacity of Salem Central Prison is 1,431. There are 15 blocks in the prison, including the higher security block, hospital block, factory block, new admission block, convict block, remand block, and Goondas block. Through the Corporation pipeline in the blocks, prisoners take drinking water in plastic pots and take them to their respective cells. 

Since temperatures in Salem have been high over the past month, the prison has now arranged for drinking water in mud pots.

Salem Central Prison superintendent (in-charge) G. Vinoth said that prisoners were complaining that the water in the plastic pots were becoming hotter and that they were unable to drink it during the noon hours. Considering that, a total of 31 pots—two mud pots for each block— were placed on Wednesday. The drinking water will be filled three times a day and these mud pots are kept in a place with CCTV coverage. The Quick Reaction Team (QRT) in the prison will also monitor the pots and give a daily report to the jailer. The prisoners who are out of the cell from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. shall use these pots to drink water, Mr. Vinoth added.