Water Problem! Chennai water tankers to go on strike

With Chennai facing drought for the third year in a row, there is more pressure on the already plummeting groundwater level. As Chennai, is heading towards water crisis again, operators of private water tankers have decided to go on strike from Wednesday.

According to The New Indian Express report, water levels in main reservoirs of the city have only one per cent of their total capacity, while borewells don’t have water even at 500 feet. With the rise in residents, who are compelled to buy water at exorbitant rates, operators of private water tankers have decided to go on strike from Wednesday.

Close to 4,500 tankers plying across Chennai, Kancheepuram and Tiruvallur will stop supplying water. The main reason cited by the tankers is the opposition to them in certain villages on the outskirts of Chennai, from where they extract groundwater and sell it to residents of Chennai, New Indian Express reported.

Media report further state that, private water tanker lorry association members said that, "three days ago in Red Hills four tankers were taken into custody by local police officials. Also, in many places along Thiruporur-Chennai route, teams of revenue inspectors and tahsildars have been stopping tankers from tapping groundwater."

"They had decided to launch the sudden strike because the government officials took side with villagers and cracked down on the private tankers, the association added.