Madurai's community water units face uncertain future
Madurai: More than a decade after Madurai corporation rolled out its community safe drinking water initiative, several of its reverse osmosis (RO) water dispensing units have turned defunct, forcing residents to depend on private can suppliers by shelling out nearly five times more.
While many are demanding the scheme's revival, some residents feel the improved piped water supply has reduced its necessity.
The scheme allowed residents to collect 20 litres of purified water for ₹7 using a prepaid smart card. Each card, priced at ₹60 initially, could be recharged for ₹140 to allow 20 fills a month. Units operated from 7am to 11am and from 4pm to 7pm. However, poor maintenance and lack of regular service rendered almost half of the 15 units in city limits non-functional.
Others are operational only sporadically, leaving thousands without access to affordable, clean drinking water.
"Now we are forced to buy cans for ₹35–₹40 from private suppliers," said S Santhiyagu, a resident of SS Colony. "One facility here has not supplied water for months, and the nearby unit inside SS Colony is completely shut," he added.
Residents allege that private can suppliers are benefiting from the breakdown and even influencing the corporation to delay or abandon the scheme.
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"There seems to be no effort to revive these units," said M Ramesh of Arasaradi. "Until 2021, it was regular. Now, it's been three months since we've had any water from this facility," he added.
Only one RO unit near Kochadai is reportedly functioning regularly. The remaining 14 units are either defunct or operational only on select days. The programme, which initially saw a strong public response, especially during the drought years of 2017 to 2019, suffered a setback during Covid-19 pandemic.
Footfall at RO units then dropped drastically as many turned to piped supply, which improved in most parts of the city.
Now, with Mullaperiyar drinking water scheme set to cover the city, activists believe there is less scope to revive the RO programme. "With stable drinking water input expected, the corporation does not need to activate RO units. If they don't want to revive the programme, they should at least dismantle them and put the land to better use," said civic activist T Nageshwaran.
"The one at Mattuthavani bus stand is still not functioning properly," he said.
A senior corporation official said revenue for the private operator was too low under the current pricing model. "We revised the contracts, but it's difficult for operators to sustain at ₹7 per 20 litre. If we revise the pricing, more bidders might come forward." Corporation commissioner Chitra Vijayan said she would look into the issue and take necessary steps.
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