TN villagers protest as groundwater is sold to industries during shortage

Chennai, July 3

Villagers of Allikulam and Servaikaranmadam in Tamil Nadu have come out against groundwater being illegally sold to industries as they are facing acute shortage of drinking water.

The villagers have petitioned the Thoothukudi district administration to seal the borewells that were operating illegally.

The two grama sabha meetings held on May 1 in these two villages, have already passed resolutions to prevent unapproved borewells supplying drinking water to industries.

People of the two villages have already said that the tanker lorries are being used for illegal transportation of water extracted from groundwater borewells to industries, leaving the villagers without drinking water. Water is bought by people from the villages at a cost of Rs 15 per pot instead of Rs 10 during the early days of summer.

Another issue faced by the villagers is the presence of several illegal borewells that supply water to industries that require large quantity of water including chemical factories, fertiliser companies and other units.

Sources in the panchayat told IANS that the two villages were renowned for their groundwater resources but that has dried up due to an increase in the number of illegal borewell operators in the area.

The ward members of the Servaikaranmandam panchayat have petitioned the district administration including district collector to immediately prevent the rapid depletion of ground water resources as well as the transport of groundwater through illegally operated borewells.