Protest through art, music to highlight Chennai water crisis

A large number of people took part in a protest here Sunday to highlight the water crisis in the city with some resorting to various art and music forms to draw the attention of the Tamil Nadu government to the issue. Popular Tamil numbers such as 'Why this Kolaveri di?' came in handy for the agitators who modified the lyrics and crooned it to convey their demands including steps to restore water bodies in the state.

Civic activists, students and senior citizens participated in the protest organised by Arapoor Iyakkam, an NGO. "Every drop of sewage water must be treated, water bodies must be restored, encroachments must be removed, and bring a comprehensive Groundwater Regulation Act," Arappor Iyakkam said in a statement.

A demand for a system to precisely record rainwater stored, the quantity recharged underground and the amount of water let into the sea was also put forth. The protesters also urged the state government to take measures to ensure no garbage was dumped in water bodies.

"Government must ensure complete transparency and accountability in all schemes related to water bodies, water supply," the statement added. Meanwhile, a report from Erode district said AIADMK MLA N Thoppu Venkatachalam took out a procession to the District Collectorate along with around 1,000 people and submitted a petition to Collector C Kathiravan demanding implementation of the comprehensive water supply scheme by the state government for Perundurai constituency. Talking to reporters, the former minister said he would meet Chief Minister K Palaniswami on Monday and submit a petition in this regard.