Amidst a grave water crisis, people belonging to Dalit Communityhave been restricted from drawing water from a public well located at foothills of Otthakadai Yanamalai due to untouchability still being practiced in a village 10 km from here.
Locals said that the well is "sacred"and more than 150 people use the water of the well for drinking purposes.
"We worship this well and water from the well is used only for drinking purposes and not for any other purpose. We are clean when it comes to the well. Other people (Dalits) are not allowed to visit the well because they are not clean" said a local.
"Untouchability is prevalent in the village of Kodikulam,10 km from Madurai. To prevent this, the Madurai District Collector should go to the Kodikulam area and inspect it immediately and take action. People who practice untouchability must be proceeded against under the SC/ST Act," said Kathiravan, an official of an NGO that works against untouchability in Tamil Nadu.
This comes after a severe water crisis gripping several districts in Tamil Nadu hit by severe drought.