KOCHI: With the mercury rising, residents of the city’s outskirts are struggling without water supply. For the people of Cheranalloor, Mulavukad and Kadamakudy, this ordeal has been resurfacing every summer for the past 30 years or so. “If an outsider takes a look around, they will assume we would have water because we are surrounded by water. But they should check the quality of water we get, in our wells,” said Joseph P M, an activist and resident of Cheranalloor, who has been on a crusade to end the water scarcity.
According to him, almost eight years ago, the Oommen Chandy government laid water pipes as a part of the first 100 projects announced in UDF’s election manifesto. “A lot of money was spent. But sadly, it did more bad than good. The areas that used to get water went dry too,” he said.
“Laying pipelines is easy. What matters is getting water to every household. What is the use of these pipes if the water pressure is zero?” he asked. Another factor he highlighted was the lack of information regarding the amount of water that has to be pumped to Cheranalloor and Mulavukad. “Even the panchayat officials are ignorant of the real numbers,” said Joseph.
Cheranalloor panchayat is located at the fag end of KWA’s distribution line and requires at least 80MLD daily. But as of now, they get under 2MLD. “By the time water reaches here, the pressure is almost zero and all that we get is air gushing out,” he said. Joseph has been writing letters to the CM, ministers and KWA in vain. Now, he has approached the Kerala High Court seeking redressal.
According to E K Rajeev, former Mulavukad panchayat member, the situation is the same in at least three wards. “To increase the water pressure, we installed a booster, but that failed to bring in any changes,” he added. According to him, when he approached KWA regarding this issue, he was told that increasing the water pressure might cause the pipes to burst. “So, just think of the quality of the pipes that have been laid,” he added. At present, water is being supplied in tankers to the areas hit by water scarcity.