The public has been left in the lurch by the scarcity of water caused by the ongoing maintenance work of the pipelines for more than three days.
The prominent areas hit by disruption of water supply are Kathrikkadavu, Vennala, Konthuruthy, Kochukadavanthra, Chittoor, Cheranallur and Vypeen.
“The scarcity of water is mainly due to the shut down of the Aluva plant for the interconnection work which is in progress at Kathrikkadavu. The water authority hopes to resume supply within a day’s time”, said K K Chandradas, assistant engineer, Kerala Water Authority, Kaloor.
The people in the affected areas are struggling to meet their day-to-day requirements. The hotels and shops that cater to the common man have been forced to close down temporarily due water shortage. “We have been suffering due to lack of water supply for the past three days. As we are from a poor background it is difficult for me to collect water from distant places and store it in the limited vessels available,” said Sudha, a resident of Kathrikkadavu.
The officials on the site hinted that the people of Kathrikkadavu would have to wait for a few more days till the work is completed and supply resumed.
Even as the city is facing acute water crisis, the rivers and drainage are filled with contaminated water and several pipes are in a damaged state. Further, due to the negligence of the Water Authority, several pipes have been left unused along the road sides.
The residents of Kathrikadavu alleged that the Authority was keen on distributing enough and more water to the apartments and flats and was least concerned about the common people who are completely dependent on it for water.
All are forced to buy tanker lorries water at high prices.
“The government should promote rain water harvesting by offering subsidies to bring it into practice around the city,” said P Rangadasa Prabhu, president, Ernakulam District Residents Associations Apex Council.