KOCHI: Life is tough for the people of Vypeen when it comes to sourcing drinking water. The island has a unique ecosystem–freshwater from the rivers meet the seawater from the Arabian Sea which is connected to the Vembanad Lake. However, when it comes to drinking water, the people of the island today have to depend on tankers and the rarely functioning public taps. To solve the drinking water problem, a water tank project funded by the Goshree Islands Development Authority (GIDA) was launched seven years ago at Njarakkal and Murikkumpadam.
“However, the only thing that exists on the land, acquired from the residents, is an exoskeleton of the water tank,” said Paul J Mampilly, chairman, Gosree Human Rights Protection Council. According to him, two water tanks were to be built. “One was in Njarakkal, which would have solved the drinking water problem of Nayarambalam and Njarakkal panchayats, and the other was to come up at Murikkumpadam,” he said.
“But, the construction work of both the tanks stopped two years ago,” he said. GIDA had allotted funds to the tune of `10 crore for both the projects, he added. “Of the amount, around `6 crore was allocated for the project at Njarakkal and `4 was earmarked for the one at Murikumpadam,” he said. Even though out of `6 crore already, `5crore has been spent, the water tank at Njarakkal is far from getting completed, added Mampilly.
According to him, only one more level needs to be constructed for the project to be completed. “Once the final level is constructed all that remains is the tank, which itself shouldn’t take much time,” he said. In the case of the project at Murikumpadam, much more needs to be done, he said. According to him, seven-and-a-half years have passed.
“The project was introduced during the first tenure of S Sarma as the MLA. He is into his second tenure and still the project remains incomplete. Recently, the MLA had assured that the project will be restarted and a new contractor will be appointed. That was in August. Now it is December and the work is yet to begin,” said Mampilly.
According to him, the council has launched various agitations and sent representations to GIDA and also the KWA. “Whenever we agitate or send in a representation, the authorities wake up from their slumber and get the contractors to restart the work. But that would last only for a few weeks. The situation then goes back to square one,” said Mampilly. This is a violation of basic human rights, he added.
“Authorities turn a blind eye to the problems faced by the residents of Vypeen. Now with the district administration even finding the water sourced from abandoned quarries not fit for consumption, we don’t know what will happen in summer,” he said. The council members are planning to hold an agitation on Wednesday in front of the KWA office which will see the breaking empty earthen pots.