People go on water treasure Hunt in City

Packaged water supplies resume

Packaged drinking water manufacturers are back in business. On Saturday, they called off their strike and resumed production.

Around 300 water packaging units across Chennai, Kancheepuram and Tiruvallur districts had downed shutters on Thursday protesting the closure of 92 units by the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB). These units did not have valid consent from the TNPCB.

On Friday, the National Green Tribunal directed TNPCB and the Commissionerate of Food Safety and Drug Administration to inspect the closed units and submit a report after analysing water samples. Until then, the units will remain closed. The strike had severely affected the supply of mineral water cans in the city which largely depends on private manufacturers for potable water. On Saturday evening, residents heaved a sigh of relief when the units resumed work.

President of Tamil Nadu Packaged Drinking Water Manufacturers Association, K. Rajaram, said they had earlier decided to continue the strike until Monday. “But we decided to call it off as we did not want to inconvenience the public any further. We will sort out our issues in court,” he said. Supply of water cans would resume on Sunday, he said.

Though relieved by the manufacturers’ decision, shopkeepers in the city are angry the units resorted to such an extreme measure.

G. Bose, who runs a store in Choolaimedu, said there was no meaning in the Association calling for a strike when the fault was entirely theirs. “This is hardly the time to go on strike. The public was badly affected. I had to turn away several customers who came looking for water,” he said.

Many residents said mineral water companies and delivery boys kept their phones off the hook the past couple of days. R.J. Sambasivam, who supplies cans to about 50 customers in Ambattur area, said he got tired of telling customers he had run out of stock.

Unable to get any water, many residents turned to flavoured drinks and buttermilk to quench their thirst. V. Kandan, who runs a soft drinks shop in Moolakadai, said he did brisk business over the weekend.

“But I ran out of 1-litre water bottles and placed orders for an additional case to be delivered on Sunday,” he said.