Chennai: Residents of Balakrishna Mudali Street in West Mambalam have been grappling with foul-smelling, discoloured drinking water for the past two months. Although Metrowater identified the source of the pollution, it shifted responsibility to Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC), citing illegal sewage discharge from a nearby gated community. However, no further action was taken to resolve the issue. Locals fear that the contaminated water may lead to serious health risks, especially for children and the elderly.“Initially, when we filed a complaint, they identified seepage from the stormwater drain. Even after they pumped sewage out of the sump, it refills with water following mild showers, further polluting our drinking water,” said Bharath Raghunathan, a resident of Balakrishna Mudali Street.Residents spent around 15,000 to clean the sump. Despite authorities claiming the water was safe for use, contamination persists. As a result, residents are now relying on borewell water for domestic purposes and purchasing canned water for drinking.“They lodged several complaints with Metrowater, both online and offline. Yet, a permanent solution hasn’t been provided, and the root cause is still unidentified. Earlier, when we requested drinking water through tanker lorries, the board claimed it couldn’t be supplied to our area. Only after repeated requests did they send water,” said Nagarajan, another resident of the locality.A senior official from Metrowater said, “We identified sewage leakage into the sump from nearby residential buildings, and we also suspect another source from a gated community in the area. Once the exact source is identified and rectified, the issue will be resolved. Only after proper testing will we refill the sump. Meanwhile, to ensure uninterrupted drinking water supply, we have been distributing water through tanker lorries over the past few days.”