PUDUKKOTTAI: Amid soaring mercury levels, women from the coastal village of R Pudhupattinam carry on with their routine of walking over two kilometres on hot sand with bright plastic pots stacked on their heads and a ladle, fighting the blazing sun across a broken bridge to fetch drinking water from hand-dug pits.
The bridge, which is over two decades old, has no railings in parts and bears visible cracks. “We are scared every time we cross the bridge but we have no other way,” said 27-year-old Archana, a fisherwoman.
The villagers brave the walk to reach their only dependable water source-a sandy patch with freshwater seeping through saline ground. Shallow hand-dug pits dot the area as women crouch, scoop water with small ladles, and filter it through cloth before filling their pots. Drawing water can sometimes take up to an hour for just two pots.
“This is what we do every day, election or no election,” said K Ranjitha (34). “We don’t want to do this. Give us water in our homes, and we will never come here again.”
Nearly 2,000 families in R Pudhupattinam under Aranthangi depend on these fragile freshwater springs. Groundwater turns saline within a few feet, making borewells unreliable. What remains is this slow, uncertain process. “In summer, it is worse. We keep digging and waiting,” said G Kamalambal (55), who makes the trip every day before heading to the fish market.
Buying water is not affordable for most families who solely depend on fishing. “Our earnings are uncertain. We cannot spend money every day,” Ranjitha said. A can of water from private suppliers costs between Rs 10 and Rs 20. The village, under Nattanipurasakudi panchayat, has no functional reverse osmosis facility. Those unable to make the walk depend on others. “Some buy from us, some from outside,” says Sundaraswetha. “We asked for borewells, but the water becomes salty very quickly.”
The decade-old drinking water crisis extends to nearly 60 coastal habitations across Manamelkudi, Avudaiyarkoil and Aranthangi blocks. Water lorries are a common sight along ECR in Pudukkottai. According to sources, during the 2011-2021 AIADMK regime and later under the DMK, major drinking water schemes and pipeline repairs were undertaken in Pudukkottai. However, they have largely bypassed R Pudhupattinam due to feasibility constraints. Attempts to provide drinking water through borewells also failed, as the water quickly turned saline and is now used only for non-drinking purposes. With supply extensions unviable, the village remains dependent on limited panchayat water and fragile natural springs.
“The spring itself is shrinking,” said M Saravanan (47). “We need a permanent solution, at least an RO plant.”
Environmentalist Nimmal Raghavan has proposed the revival of Gopala Pattinam Kaattu Kulam and plans to begin work after the election.
Cutting across party lines, candidates who contested the Assembly election told TNIE they would prioritise drinking water supply. Residents, however, say such assurances have been made before with only a little change.