KOCHI: Constant worry is part and parcel of the lives of Chellanam residents. Beleaguered by natural disasters like cyclones and periodic floods, and financially ruined by the ravaging Covid pandemic, there appears to be no respite in sight for their continuing distress. In the latest in a series of misfortunes, over a hundred families in south Chellanam area today are reeling under the grip of acute water shortage. Repeated complaints given by the residents to the officials have fallen on deaf ears.
Wards 15 and 16 of the Chellanam panchayat haven’t had a water supply since December 20. Water for household use in these wards is supplied from the Kandakkadavu water tank, to which water is pumped from Vazhakulam by the Kerala Water Authority (KWA). “The water tank in Kandakkadavu has the capacity to store over 47 lakh litres of water.
KWA officials claim that they pump water to the tank daily for four hours. Though there used to be frequent disruptions in supply, there was no severe shortage of water earlier. However, for nearly a month now, we have been suffering from acute water shortage. Nowadays, water has a foul odour and is discoloured. We cannot use it for any purpose,” said Seema Binoy, panchayat member of ward 16.
“A series of complaints have been made to the KWA officials. The reason they cite is that water is pumped at low pressure to avoid pipe-bursts. They are doing this to avoid repair work, lest any issues with the pipes arise. Over a hundred families are suffering because of this,” said Seema.
The DYFI unit, Malikapuram, staged a sit-in protest with local residents in front of the KWA office on Monday, over the issue. A petition was submitted to KWA assistant engineer, seeking immediate intervention. The KWA has assured the residents that measures would be taken to solve the problem.
“The pumping issue will be resolved soon. If the water crisis is still not resolved, then measures will be taken to supply water in 1,200-litre capacity tankers, so that water reaches every home in the affected areas,” said a KWA official.
“Though the KWA has assured us that the water crisis will be resolved, if things do not work out as promised, we will move ahead with protests,” said Tinu, a resident. “Since there are regular issues with the availability of drinking water in our region, we often store water in our houses, to tide over sudden crises. Now it has been nearly a month, and the stored water has been consumed. Most of us are relying on bottled mineral water. Water is available in public taps on the roads, but health concerns and inconvenience prevent people from relying on them. There are people who fetch drinking water in boats, from areas where it is available,” said Antony Binoy, a resident of ward 16.