THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The residents of RNP Lane and Madavankovil Lane in Vellayambalam are facing a hard time due to the potable water crisis in the area. Even after repeated complaints to the Kerala Water Aurthority (KWA) officials, their problems has been unaddressed and they have started looking for alternatives such as tanks to tackle the water shortage. However, the situation of the residents has turned grimmer with the broken drainage pipe at RNP Lane which extends up to the Arattu Kadavu Mahadeva temple in Pipinmoodu, Sasthamangalam, with the waste water seeping into wells and polluting water.
More than 250 families reside on RNP Lane and Madavankovil Lane in Vellayambalam. Two years back, the Vellayambalam Residents’ Association had gave a petition to the State Human Rights Commission stating the plight of the residents who were facing acute shortage of drinking water. However, the situation remains the same even after years.
K Muraleedharan Nair, president of Vellayambalam Residents’ Association, said it has been months since the drainage pipe at RNP ane in Vellayambalam is broken and the area is stinking. “My house is on RNP Lane and we are unable to bear the stench due to all kinds of waste dumped in the drainage line. The situation is worse when it rains. Although we have brought the issue to the notice of the authorities concerned several times, no action has been taken,” says Muraleedharan.
He also added that although the government has launched several projects to protect the Killiyar, it is being polluted with all kinds of waste dumped into the canals connecting the water body.According to Sujith S, secretary of Vellayambalam Residents’ Association, it is not just the residents of RNP Lane and Madavankovil Lane who are facing difficulty due to the broken drain system but also other residents in the Vellayamblam- Sasthamangalam stretch. “
The area has been facing water scarcity for a long time and many residents have been relying on either tankers or water from the wells. However, the food waste from nearby hotels is seeping into the wells, thereby making the water unfit for drinking,” said Sujith. We had raised the issue with the KWA authorities and they opined that the possible solution would be to construct manholes. However, they added that they didn’t have enough funds to construct the manholes,” he added.A KWA official said, “The issue has been brought to the notice of the drainage works department which will take the necessary steps to rectify it soon.”