KOCHI: While the district administration goes ahead with the strict implementation of Operation Pure Water, tanker lorry operators in the district are foreseeing severe water crunch in the coming days owing to the shortage in supply. They say not only big hotels, malls, hospitals and apartment complexes and but small ‘thattukadas’ (streetside shops) will also feel the heat.
The operators also allege they are not getting even 100 loads from Kerala Water Authority (KWA) centres at Aluva and Maradu for supply. The normal demand in the district is 2,000 loads. “There is a long queue at the KWA’s water treatment plants at Aluva and Maradu. On Sunday, we got nearly 100 loads. On Monday, we could not get even that,” said Water Tanker Association secretary Ramachandran. He said 400 tanker lorries are supplying water in and around the city at present.
“We support Operation Pure Water. However, our only issue is that we are not getting an adequate quantity of water. Most tankers lorries which have registered at water supply centres of KWA need to wait for hours. Even KWA officials have no idea about the availability of water.
However, since they cannot interrupt domestic supply, we have no other option but to wait for our turn,” said Ramachandran. He said tanker lorry operators have urged the authorities concerned to keep the water supply hydrant centres open round-the-clock. “We cannot predict when people will call and ask for water. Lorry operators are receiving calls at midnight from various resident/ apartment associations for water. We conveyed our apprehensions to the district collector recently,” he said. Tanker lorry owners said they were not extending any support to lorry operators flouting the rules by drawing water from private wells.
“We are ready to cooperate with the authorities. The Operation Pure Water squad is conducting regular inspections of tanker lorries and the drivers have to show the receipt they receive from KWA hydrant centres. Hence, nobody is taking water from private water sources now,” said a water tanker lorry operator.