Now water-starved residents queue up for residual supplies

By S. Shanker

CHENNAI, SEPT. 12. With the city reeling under water scarcity and depending more and more on mobile supply, water-starved residents have started flocking filling stations, not for direct supply, but for the residual quantities left in the near-empty tankers that queue up for refills.

As the long winding `lorry-line' inches towards the filling stations, people rush towards the vehicles for the residual content, without realising the danger involved in the exercise. From children to elderly people, unmindful of the peril, charge towards the tankers, with the sole objective of reaching the lorry valves before others, even as cleaners shout at them.

Cyclists and two-wheelers with drums and large cans contribute to the worsening situation. For the past few days people in autorickshaws have also been joining the rush at K.K.Nagar. The three-wheelers tail the lorries at speed, from behind and along the sides, as the tankers slow down to fall in line before the stations, regardless of the speed of the heavy vehicles.

While two-wheelers hesitate to overload their vehicles, cyclists have no such inhibitions. Most of them near the K.K.Nagar distribution station have learnt to balance no less than eight plastic pots on either side.

During abruptly braking or steering they lose balance and trip over, especially at intersections or while stopping to allow traffic. The condition of roads need no mention. Most of them leading to the filling stations are full of large craters.

While the lorry cleaners are busy cautioning the public, the drivers rarely stop to respond to the demands of the people who flock the vehicles. The general mood of the drivers is such that objections are rarely raised even when minor collisions or brushes occur between trucks, either during reversing or while parking.

At K.K. Nagar, the authorities have set up a couple of taps outside the distribution station to help people who come to the station. However, a large queue before the taps deter those who come in cars and personal transport. On Wednesday, a couple of government vehicles were seen joining the endless line for water.

Be it the K.K.Nagar or Valluvar Kottam filling station, from morning to night, people surround the vehicles that come in for refills, with the assurance of getting more than a pot full of water. There are no answers to why the water tankers fail to clear their loads in total at residential localities before returning to the refill points.

There are instances of `` street supply'' tankers offering a part of their load to apartments complexes for a consideration.

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Section  : Southern States
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