KOCHI: Antony (name changed) was feeling the strain on Friday. In fact, the Palluruthy man’s entire family — consisting of his working wife, aged mother, two kids — was in a tense mood, not knowing how to deal with the shortage of drinking water at home. The concerns of the family occupying the rented-out first floor of their residence added to the anxiety.
Their ordeal is not an isolated case. The entire West Kochi is bearing the brunt of water shortage as a result of burst pipelines and irregular supply. “The monsoon season is more or less over, yet water consumption has been gradually rising. We don’t know what to do. Authorities are not making up for the shortage with water supplied through tankers,” Antony said.
Situated below sea level, the region is not new to severe water scarcity. It was to address the perennial issue that Kochi corporation rolled out the Pazhoor Drinking Water Project, sourcing water directly from Muvattupuzha river.
Though the project managed to limit the crisis, frequent pipe ruptures and increasing demand have left the region in the throes of another crisis in the last several months.
Although designed to cater to the needs of the people of West Kochi, there were allegations that water from the project was being diverted to other areas such as Thevara and Thammanam. Worryingly, the current shortage has even affected dialysis treatment at Palluruthy Taluk Hospital. Hospital authorities even considered curtailing the procedure, but the timely intervention of the division councillor helped avert a crisis — to the relief of patients. Areas such as Vaduthala, Pachalam, Panampilly Nagar and Chambakkara have also been affected by the water crisis.
“Water supply has been disrupted as a result of pipeline bursts in different localities, including Thrikkakara,” a Kerala Water Authority (KWA) executive engineer said. “Supply under the Pazhoor project has also been affected. The situation has been exacerbated by technical issues at the Maradu water treatment plant. Fissures to pipelines are being attended to, along with other technical issues,” the official added.
On Friday, opposition councillors of the LDF staged a sit-in at the KWA superintending officer’s office calling for immediate intervention to end the crisis.
“The UDF-led corporation has imposed restrictions on supply of drinking water in tankers, worsening the issue. If the water supply to regions like West Kochi is not restored immediately, it will affect public life,” opposition leader V A Sreejith said. He urged officials to ensure that the required quantity of water is made available to people in the region through the Pazhoor project.