The Kollidam River in Trichy (Tamil Nadu) is home to many families in Alagiripuram in the state. There are around 200 families who earn their living by bleaching clothes on the banks of this river. If you ever visit the Kollidam Athu Bridge towards Tirchy, then you can witness the colourful clothes hanging on the banks of Kollidam River. The dirty clothes from various places are brought here and are bleached at these banks. It takes at least 2 days to wash a piece of cloth. The washermen or dhobis meet their daily needs by washing a minimum of 250 clothes a day. Now, people of this professional community are demanding a well-built corner at the banks of these rivers from the state authorities, so that they can have better facilities.
Washermen are working from 9 am to 6 pm for this occupation at a salary of Rs 500 per day. They also make investment on soap, bleaching powder and other important resources, required for washing clothes. Even if they lose their job for a day, their livelihood is drastically affected. Currently, the water in the Kollidam River is low so they are washing their clothes and drying it on the ropes near the river.
During the rainy season, the level of river water rises. This led the dhobis to wash clothes on the steps along the river. It is extremely narrow, so it also restricts the number of people working at the same time.
They have been demanding for many years to construct a well-built corner for washing clothes. But no actions have been taken so far. Washermen expect that such a problem should be resolved soon, as their livelihood is in question. They earn daily, which is affected due to natural phenomena such as floods, tsunamis and earthquakes.
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