Chennai: For the past two weeks, residents of Kasturba Nagar in Adyar have been grappling with Metrowater contamination, where sewage has reportedly mixed with the drinking water supply. The issue began after underground maintenance work was carried out by Metrowater officials in the last week of April.Despite switching to borewell water, residents say the contamination persists. The board responded to complaints by digging up the road at several locations last week, but residents say the source of the problem remained unclear for many days.“In the last week of April, Metrowater carried out routine underground maintenance work. Since then, the piped drinking water has been contaminated with sewage. We are unable to use it for drinking or domestic purposes and have been relying on borewell water for the past two weeks. Even with borewell usage, sewage is still entering the inlet pipe of the toilet flush tank,” said J Singaravelan, a resident of 8th Main Road.The contamination has affected residents along 7th and 8th Main Roads. Many have been forced to buy canned water for drinking over the past 15 days. Residents say repeated complaints led to fresh excavation in four to five spots last week, but there has been little progress.“Work is progressing very slowly, and whenever we ask about the source of the contamination, we don’t get a clear answer. Managing with borewell water is a struggle. The repair is taking too long, and ultimately, the residents are suffering due to the negligence and sluggish pace of contract workers,” said D Balaji, another resident.When contacted, a senior Metrowater official said the issue was traced to two damaged water service connections on 7th Main Road, likely impacted during last month’s maintenance work. Replacement of the damaged pipeline is underway across a 30–40m stretch. The official added that water quality has improved and the issue is expected to be fully resolved by Tuesday night.