DMK to hold protests in TN on June 22 over water crisis

The DMK Wednesday said it would hold protests on June 22 across Tamil Nadu to urge the AIADMK government to take steps on a war footing to address the acute water crisis in parts of the State.

Hitting out at the State government on the water issue for what it called "negligence," and "administrative failure," the DMK said the demonstration is to "condemn," and urge it to address the water shortage.

DMK alleged people across Tamil Nadu were affected by the drinking water scarcity.

The party headquarters, in a release, asked its district secretaries to stage protests in all district headquarters with the support of the general public.

With borewells and wells going dry in parts of Tamil Nadu, the demand for water has gone up manifold here prompting people to depend on private water tanker operators for their needs.

The DMK, which is the principal opposition in Tamil Nadu, alleged that several restaurants were shut and schools reeled under the impact of water shortage besides Information technology firms have asked their employees to work from home.

The party accused the AIADMK government of closing its eyes to the situation and failing in its duty.

Amid the ongoing severe water crisis in parts of the state, the state government Tuesday said it was largely dependent on ground water to meet the requirements till the onset of north east monsoon in October.

Chief Minister K Palaniswami has said drought and deficient monsoon had resulted in depletion of groundwater levels, but claimed the issue was not as big as was being made out, especially in the media.