Chennai hostels and mansions ration water, some shut shop as crisis looms large

CHENNAI: Hostels for working women and mansions in the city have begun rationing water to inmates as the looming water crisis has put them in a fix. While many manage with groundwater despite its high saline content, a few have downed shutters due to absence of adequate water, forcing inmates to explore other accommodations with water facility.
The quantum of water distributed has been reduced in working women hostels, Chennai hostel owners welfare association secretary K S Manoharan said.“On an average, at least 100 litres of water is required for each inmate everyday. Due to the acute water shortage, only 70 litres of water is offered,” he said.
Hostels have also put curbs on when the water is available, cutting supply to eight hours over the morning and evening. Manoharan said a couple of hostels have closed in the last month as owners couldn’t provide enough water to inmates. “Hostels cannot sustain without water. Those without source for groundwater or Metrowater water have closed,” he said.
Chennai and its suburbs have 5,000 hostels and mansions. Of these, 2,000 are hostels for working women. The bachelors paradise Triplicane alone has more than 400 mansions and lodges for men dotted across the locality. Each mansion has a capacity ranging from 10 to 50 rooms, with an average occupancy rate of 60%.
Apart from domestic use, drinking water should also be provided for the occupants operating on monthly and daily rental basis.
Praveen, an employee with a non-banking finance company said he preferred to rent a house at Kolathur after water scarcity struck Triplicane. “A month ago, I was scouting for accommodation in a mansion in Triplicane. Inquiries with multiple facilities revealed that water would be available only for a few hours, which forced me to look for a house in other areas,” he said.
However, some inmates in Triplicane told TOI that their mansions had not yet begun cutting down the volume of water. Baskar, the manager of a mansion on Tippu Sahib Street said the situation was grim. “Private water tankers are demanding Rs 2,500 for distributing 12,000 litres of water. This is not affordable. We manage with the available groundwater though it is saline,” he said, adding that providing water in the days ahead would be a herculean task.