A day after the opposition DMK staged demonstrations protesting against the government’s ‘failure’ to address drinking water crisis, Minister for Information Technology M. Manikandan launched supply of drinking water through tankers to hamlets, facing acute water shortage in the district.
Launching the supply at Pallamorkulam village in Thirupullani block in the presence of Collector K. Veera Raghava Rao on Sunday, Mr. Manikandan said about 45 hamlets which had no local source or could not get water supplied under the Cauvery combined water supply scheme would be benefited under the tanker supply scheme.
He said the State government was implementing measures on a war footing to address drinking water woes in the State and he has launched the supply of drinking water through tankers on the orders of Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami. He said water would be made available to 45 hamlets in Ramanathapuram, Thirupullani, Nainarkoil, Paramakudi, Kadaladi, Kamuthi and Mudukulathur Panchayat unions on alternate days till the situation eased.
The project would be implemented at a total cost of ₹60 lakh, he said. He said though the Tamil Nadu Water Supply and Drainage (TWAD) Board supplied 35 million litres of water a day (MLD) under the Cauvery combined water supply scheme and the district administration another 40 MLD through local sources, about 45 hamlets faced water problems, he said.
Later, in a brief chat with reporters, Mr. Manikandan hit out at former DMK Minister Duraimurugan for opposing supply of water through wagons to Chennai from Jolarpet in Vellore district. If the DMK leader was opposed to sharing water from one district to other, the DMK had no moral right to talk about the Cauvery issue, he said.
