Residents of housing unit in Kavundampalayam raise concerns over water supply and other basic facilities

Residents of the Tamil Nadu Housing Board (TNHB) unit at Kavundampalayam in Coimbatore city, which has 1,848 houses across 68 blocks and 14 floors, have raised concerns over the lack of basic facilities.

“Water is supplied between 6 a.m. and 10 a.m., and again from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. We are forced to store it in buckets and drums,” said L. Shanmugam, president of the housing unit’s association. He said residents had staged multiple protests over the issue.

They also pointed to damaged internal roads, which have remained unrepaired for over three years, and sewage overflow from the collection well, which they said has not been cleaned for five years. “Without water for uses other than drinking, how can we live?” they asked.

An official from TNHB said that work has been initiated to provide round-the-clock domestic water supply in phases, starting block-wise. “The supply was not extended 24/7 due to water shortage two years ago and the difficulty of operating borewells continuously. Now, with 12 lakh litres required and storage facilities in place, supply will be improved,” the official said.

The official added that road repair work has begun. On sewage, the official said waste water from the housing unit is collected in a common collection well and pumped into the Coimbatore Corporation’s underground drainage network. Due to the lack of power backup, the motors used for pumping often failed, resulting in frequent overflows. The well is also filled with sludge, which the official said will be removed soon. Generators have now been arranged to ensure continuous power supply to the motors, and two spare motors have been kept ready to prevent stagnation and overflow.

On the issue of placing safety grills in balconies and staircases, the official said it could obstruct fire-fighting operations, and that a proposal was under discussion.