KOCHI: Water lies at the core of human progress. A proper water supply system is vital for socioeconomic development and a healthy ecosystem. Kochi, which is vying for a ‘Smart City’ status, seems to be miserably failing at this very basic parameter of sustainable development.
Thanks to a lack of foresight and mismanagement by the Kerala Water Authority and the civic authorities, the entire West Kochi region has been facing water scarcity for a month. Residents are irate, and sights in this region are painful.
For a city that faces water shortage during summers, any disruption in the KWA water supply is like cutting the jugular vein.
“Kochi is a place where the groundwater can’t be used for drinking or cooking. Once the summer sets in, salt water incursion makes groundwater unusable even for washing and bathing,” says Cherai resident Rajeev R.
People have been forced to source drinking water in tanker lorries. In most places, they have to pay for it, and, at times, rush to collect water well past midnight.
“A break in water supply for a day or two can be understood. But going without even a drop of water coming out of the taps for one whole month? It is unimaginable in a city that is vying for a metropolitan status,” fumes a college lecturer and social observer, Anusha K.
What went wrong? Why did the authorities wait till the last moment? Why were the three pumps at Pazhoor not properly maintained? Why aren’t authorities arranging free water supply using tankers? How long should these parched souls wait for their basic right to potable water?
