The Amma Kudineer initiative, a landmark program introduced by former Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa to provide 20 liters of free drinking water per family each day, appears to have been abandoned by the current DMK government in Chennai. Several Amma Kudineer water distribution points across the city have been shut down, leaving residents struggling to access clean drinking water. Since June 2023, many of these outlets have either fallen into disrepair or been closed due to poor coordination between the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) and the Chennai Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (CMWSSB).
In June 2023, the GCC passed a resolution to transfer the management of 53 Amma Kudineer units to the CMWSSB, citing the board’s expertise in water treatment. This decision was later supported by a directive from the Additional Chief Secretary of the Municipal Administration and Water Supply Department.
According to the GCC, 50 of the 53 Amma Kudineer outlets were still operational as of March 2025. However, a visit to five of these outlets by TNM revealed that none of them were working. When questioned, CMWSSB officials stated they had not yet received an official transfer of these units and therefore, were not responsible for their maintenance.
At an outlet on Elaya Street, Tondiarpet, residents reported that the facility had been closed for over a year. Previously, it supplied approximately 8,000 liters of water daily to 300 nearby households. One resident described how the outlet had been a crucial resource when operational, but now they had to rely on hand pumps, which provided poor-quality water. Many households often wasted up to 30 buckets of water just to remove impurities, and in some cases, the water had an unpleasant odor or even traces of sewage, leading to skin infections.
Murugan, a resident of Tsunami Quarters, explained that with the Amma Kudineer outlet no longer functioning, many people had turned to water lorries to meet their needs. He noted that residents now had to manually fill barrels from hand pumps early in the morning, while the metro water lorry, which arrived every other day, charged ₹15 per barrel and ₹1 per pot—an additional financial strain on families.
M. Renuka, the councillor for Ward 42, stated that the outlets had been handed over to the CMWSSB for better management, but no response had been received regarding when services would resume.
Similar concerns had been raised in other parts of Chennai. In Ward 110 of Teynampet, an Amma Kudineer outlet near a corporation park had remained locked for over a year. A resident in the area indicated that the closure was due to low usage.
According to R. Sivamurugan, Chief Engineer of the Operation and Maintenance Division 1, the GCC had not officially transferred the outlets to the CMWSSB, which meant the board could not be held responsible for their closure.
Meanwhile, Mayor Priya Rajan clarified that while Metro Water was in charge of the water supply, the GCC was responsible for maintaining the infrastructure. She pointed out that several Amma Kudineer outlets in areas like Saidapet were still operational, suggesting that some closures might have resulted from low demand.
(With Inputs From TNM)
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