Residents protest against supply of turbid water by Tirunelveli Corporation

Residents of a few streets in Ward No. 44 of Tirunelveli Corporation staged dharna for a while at the Melapalayam Zone office on Saturday following reported supply of muddy drinking water

Residents of a few streets in Ward No. 44 of Tirunelveli Corporation staged dharna for a while at the Melapalayam Zone office on Saturday following reported supply of muddy drinking water.

The protesting residents, carrying muddy water in bottles, alleged that the water being supplied to their area was turbid for the past several years. Even though the residents had brought this problem to the Corporation officials’ attention by submitting complaints, steps had not been taken to solve the problem.

“Sewage gets mixed with the drinking water through the cracks in damaged drinking water distribution pipes. Even the water that we get from hand pumps is also is muddy. The residents have to buy 20 litre water bottles for drinking purposes while ₹100 a month is being collected by the Corporation as water tax,” said Haja of Social Democratic Party of India, who was accompanying the protesters.

While the residents alleged that they were supplied highly contaminated drinking water over the past five years, the Corporation officials denied it. “The damaged drinking water distribution pipes were being replaced with new pipes and the work will be completed within a fortnight, after which they will get drinking water in good quality,” the officials said.