Tamil Nadu: Activists allege drinking water supplied from Madambakkam lake in Tambaram contaminated with sewage, civic body disagrees

The issue came to light owing to the persistent effort of the Chitlapakkam Rising, a volunteer group.

The group claimed in October that it conducted an audit and found hyacinth around wells on the southern side of the lake. It further claimed that water from the wells was being directly supplied without being treated.

The group said it took water samples from the lake and got them tested in a private lab, which confirmed the presence of E Coli and Fecal Coliform in the drinking water supplied to residents.

Following this, they petitioned the Water Resource Department (WRD), the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB), and the Tambaram Corporation to look into the issue.

Sunil Jayaraman of Chitlapakkam Rising noted that the WRD inspected the lake and found the presence of sewage water and water hyacinth, and served a notice to the Tambaram Corporation to take action. He further claimed that the presence of coliform was also confirmed by the TNPCB.

Jayaraman alleged that the Corporation, without taking any proper action for a solution, issued a statement warning that legal action would be initiated if anyone is found spreading false news about the quality of drinking water.

“This is a serious issue as the drinking water from the lake is catering to around 20,000 residents of Chitlapakkam. There is proof that sewage is mixing with drinking water. There is no water treatment plant here. The officials just chlorinate the overhead tanks before sending them to the residences through the water pipeline. We are not going to stop until a proper solution is made… We request the Tambaram Corporation to acknowledge the issue, stop pumping water from the Madambakkam lake temporarily, and make alternative arrangements for residents by bringing water from Chembarambakkam,” he told indianexpress.com.

According to a statement issued by Tambaram Corporation Commissioner R Alagu Meena on October 31, to address the issue of drinking water scarcity in Chitlapakkam, five wells were constructed at the Madambakkam lake to supply drinking water.

Based on the complaint of Chitlapakkam Rising, on October 12, the authorities took samples of water from wells, overhead tanks, and public tap water and sent them to the TWAD, which in its report had stated that the water is potable.

Further, the statement added that for the past five years, drinking water to the residents had been supplied from the lake, and till now there have been no complaints over the quality of water. Also, it stated that water samples from the five wells have also been sent to the laboratory of the King Institute of Preventive Medicine and Research in Guindy and the results are awaited.

The civic body further noted that drinking water is supplied post-chlorination.