Sat Aug 02 19:39:01 UTC 2025: Okay, here’s a news article based on the provided text, aimed for publication in The Hindu:

**Chennai Residents Frustrated by Mobile Water Tanker Booking System**

**CHENNAI, August 3, 2025** – Residents of several multi-story buildings in Chennai are voicing concerns over the current mobile water tanker booking system implemented by Chennai Metrowater. The issue stems from the inability to book smaller-capacity tankers, forcing residents to pay for larger volumes of water than they require.

According to residents, many older apartment complexes, particularly those with fewer than six units, have sumps that cannot accommodate the 9 kiloliter tankers that are often the only option available. “Many apartments in the area, which have less than 6 units, were built three decades ago with sumps that can hold less than nine kilolitres. But the online system does not allow even households with more than one owner to book 6-kl tankers,” said Geetha Ganesh, secretary of AGS Colony residents’ welfare association, Velachery.

“Residents are forced to book 9-kl water tankers even though their sumps can fill only less amount of water. Metrowater must allow bookings based on residents’ needs,” added Jayanthi Premchandar of Valmiki Nagar.

Chennai Metrowater maintains that the current tanker allocation system is designed to efficiently manage resources, prevent duplicate bookings in high-demand areas, and direct smaller tankers to individual houses and narrow streets. The agency typically operates between 3,600 and 3,800 tanker trips daily, supplying nearly 31 million liters of water through tankers out of a total domestic supply of 1,052 million liters per day.

A Metrowater source said that measures are being taken to improve overall water infrastructure with the intention of cutting down on mobile tanker dependancy, including encouraging the transition to piped water connections. They also stated that the current GPS-tracked system discourages misuse in added areas.

Residents are urging Chennai Metrowater to re-evaluate the booking system and consider the specific needs of older buildings and smaller households to ensure equitable access to water resources.

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