CHENNAI: For more than 15 days, residents of Radhakrishnan Salai in Mylapore faced a severe disruption in piped metro water supply. Despite repeated complaints, the Metro Water Board failed to provide timely water tanker lorries, further worsening the water crisis in the area. With no alternative, over 20,000 residents were forced to rely on yellowish, salty borewell water for their daily household needs. Residents alleged that there was no proper response from the concerned authorities, leaving them uncertain about when the water supply would resume.The residents of Jambulingam Street, Rajasekaran Street, and 9th Street long depended on piped metro water in these residential areas. For the past two weeks, this supply was disrupted without any prior intimation. “We waited for a few days, hoping the water supply would resume, but it didn’t. We also tried reaching out to the metro water authorities, but they failed to provide a reason for the sudden interruption,” said S R Venkateswaran, a resident of Rajasekaran Street in Mylapore. The locals had no option but to use borewell water for domestic purposes and purchase canned water for cooking.Though residents tried to book tanker water through the “Dial for Water” service, it was not responsive—even during emergencies. The system became a mere formality, and there was no proper response from the team responsible for ensuring uninterrupted drinking water supply. Whenever residents contacted local Metro Water Board officials, they were met with a lethargic response. “We filed an online complaint, but without interacting with residents or addressing the issue, the complaint was simply closed,” said S Gandhi, a resident of Jambulingam Street.Even after escalating the issue to higher authorities, the matter was neglected by the concerned department. Gandhi added, “If there was any maintenance work or a problem being resolved, they should have issued a prior notice so we could have made alternative arrangements.”When contacted, a senior official with the Chennai Metro Water Supply and Sewerage Board (CMWSSB) stated that the disruption was due to a pipeline pressure issue from the Kilpauk Water Treatment Plant. The rectification work is ongoing, and the water supply is expected to resume within the next two days.