Contaminated water supply irks residents of Big Bazaar Street

Trichy: Residents of Big Bazaar Street near Rockfort have alleged that Trichy corporation has been supplying substandard drinking water for the past few days.
Residents claim that the public water taps, located below road level, are prone to contamination from wastewater seepage, compromising water quality. They reported that the drinking water in three densely populated streets—Sunambukara Street, White Betel Street, and Sandhukadai Street—has deteriorated over the past few weeks.Some locals were reportedly hospitalized with nausea and diarrhoea, though corporation has refuted these claims.
Residents claimed that they found sedimentary deposits in the water. “The decades-old public water taps in the Rockfort and Big Bazaar Street areas are 3-4 feet below road level. Seepage from open stormwater drains and accumulated rainwater often contaminates the drinking water,” said T Ramesh Kumar, a resident of Big Bazaar Street.
Following complaints and viral videos on social media criticizing the water quality, senior officials inspected the area in ward 19 on Sunday. They attributed the sediments in the drinking water to recent rectification work aimed at stopping water seepage near Rockfort.
Officials explained that the suspension of water supply during repairs allowed rust to accumulate in the dry pipes, which then entered the water supply.
“Only a few areas were affected by the sediments due to the repair work. We will raise the public water taps in Big Bazaar Street above road level soon,” said Sathik Basha, councillor for ward 19.