Several Amma Kudineer drinking water outlets across Chennai have shut down, leaving residents struggling for access to clean drinking water. Amma Kudineer, an initiative launched in 2016 by former Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa, provides 20 litres of drinking water per family daily, free of cost. However, since June 2023, many outlets have fallen into disrepair, or have been closed due to a lack of 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 53 Amma Kudineer units to the CMWSSB, citing the board’s technical expertise in water treatment. This decision was followed by a directive from the Additional Chief Secretary of the Municipal Administration and Water Supply Department.
According to the GCC, as of March 2025, 50 of the 53 Amma Kudineer outlets remain functional. However, when TNM visited five of these outlets, all were found to be non-operational. When questioned, CMWSSB officials stated they had not yet received an official transfer and distanced themselves from any responsibility.
At an outlet on Elaya Street,Tondiarpet (Ward 42), residents told TNM that the facility has been closed for over a year. Previously, it supplied around 8,000 litres of water daily to 300 nearby households.
Ravi (name changed), a resident of Elaya street, said, “It was very helpful when it was functioning. Now, we rely on hand pumps, but the water quality is poor. We end up wasting 30 buckets of water just to clear out the impurities. Sometimes, the water has a foul smell and is mixed with sewage, which leads to skin infections.”
Murugan, another resident from the Tsunami Quarters in Elaya Street, said they also rely on the hand pumps. Many residents of Tsunami Quarters, who earn just up to ₹500 a day as daily wage laborers, are now forced to buy water from metro water lorries. “Since the Amma Kudineer outlet shut down, we have to manually fill the large barrels from the hand pump during the allocated time slot of 6 am to 7.30 am. We then use a motor to pump it to the terrace tank. The metro water lorry comes every other day at around 4 pm. If we buy lorry water, we pay Rs 15 per barrel and Rs 1 per pot, which is an additional financial burden,” he said.
TNM reached out to M Renuka, the councillor of ward 42, who said, “The outlets were handed over to the CMWSSB for better management, but we have not received any response from them about when they will resume operations.”
Residents from other parts of Chennai have raised similar concerns. In Ward 110 of Teynampet (Zone 9), an Amma Kudineer outlet opposite a corporation park has remained locked for over a year. A nearby resident said it was shut down due to low usage.
When contacted, R Sivamurugan, Chief Engineer of the Operation and Maintenance Division 1, stated that the GCC had yet to officially hand over the management of these outlets to the CMWSSB and maintained that the closures were not the board’s responsibility.
However, Mayor Priya Rajan said the GCC had already passed a resolution for the transfer. "While Metro Water manages the water supply, the corporation is responsible for infrastructure maintenance. Several Amma Kudineer outlets in areas like Saidapet are still operational. The shutdowns may have been due to low usage," she said.