Never-ending woes of Udarasiromani residents

Water shortage, potholed roads and lack of parking spaces have irked residents who live on either side of the Udarasiromani Road near Vazhuthacaud.
The untarred portion of the Udarasiromani Road. (Photo | Vincent Pulickal, EPS)
The untarred portion of the Udarasiromani Road. (Photo | Vincent Pulickal, EPS)

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Water shortage, potholed roads and lack of parking spaces have irked residents who live on either side of the Udarasiromani Road near Vazhuthacaud. Despite being located close to Jalabhavan, water has been scarce in the area for more than three years.

“Water is available only during the night. Water stored in tanks are used for emergencies,” said Udayabhanu M, president of the Udarasiromani Road Residents Association.  Of the 163 houses in the area, 35 houses face acute water shortage. “Water supply starts at midnight and stops by 7.30 am. Two weeks ago, there was no water supply for three days continuously,” said Joseph Rodricks, a resident. 
Residents have to wake up early to store water. 

“During severe shortage, we call private tankers to supply water,’’ said Geetha Sunu, a resident. 
Apart from water shortage, six houses bear the brunt of an inefficient drainage system. As per the residents, drainage blocks occur once in every two months. The affected houses are located near the SFS Homebridge and SFS Capital One apartments. “The drainage pipes run through our compounds. We are the worst affected as our houses are located in a low-lying area,” said a resident. 

The main stretch of the Udarasiromani Road leads to the Palottukonam road which is in a bad state. 
The road was dug up a month ago for laying PVC pipes but was left untarred despite repeated complaints. Haphazard parking on the left side of the road has reduced the width of the stretch. Ajith Jose, assistant executive engineer, Kerala Water Authority, said new PVC pipes were laid to resolve water leakage. “We need an additional plant to supply water to the area which will be operational by March 2020,” he said. 
Regarding the condition of the roads, Jijo B Manohar, assistant executive engineer, said: “We have received administrative sanction for the work, but we are yet to receive the completion certificate from KWA after which we will begin to repair the road”.     

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