Man washes clothes in spilled road water to protest ignored complaints in southern India
by Ekta ChaubeyIn a striking form of protest in southern India’s Tamil Nadu, a man washed his clothes in leaking drinking water after alleging that his repeated complaints were ignored.
The incident took place in Pottalpudur village, Tirunelveli district, and the video went viral on November 10.
Visuals showed the distressed man seated on the road in broad daylight, washing his clothes in the dirty, spilled water as he voiced his frustration over the ignored water leakage issue. He expressed his grievances publicly, hoping for attention after previous complaints reportedly went unanswered.
According to reports, M. Noorul Ameer (OPS wing) initiated this protest in Pottalpudur, Tenkasi, to highlight the problem. Former Congress MLA K. Raviarunan commented that overloaded mineral trucks are causing recurrent leaks, polluting the water supply to nearby areas. He explained that the drinking water scheme supplies water from the Tamiraparani River to municipalities and villages, including Sengottai, Pudhur Panchayat, and Courtallam. The ongoing leaks, worsened by heavy trucks, are damaging the paver block road built at a high cost.
The Natural Resources Protection Association has called on the district administration to urgently address this issue, urging the removal of a court stay order against the restriction on trucks with more than 10 wheels. They seek immediate repairs to stop the water wastage caused by these frequent leakages.