THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: For over a year now, a family on Kochar Road in Sasthamangalam has been left without piped water after the Kerala Water Authority (KWA) disconnected the supply to their house because of a leak. Yet another summer is here, and 66-year-old S Babu and his family continue to run from pillar to post to get their KWA connection restored.
“It’s been a struggle living without piped water. We are depending on the public tap located a few metres away from our house to meet daily household needs,” said Babu, a heart patient.
The family is unable to use the water from the borewell at their house because of pollution and poor water quality. Even that has started depleting with the advent of summer.
Given the situation, his wife Usha, 55, who underwent a surgery recently, had to move to a relative’s house. “I personally went and registered complaints multiple times but they are yet to act. We are a large family with seven members and I have a sister suffering from mental illness at home to take care of. The leak happened not because of us and we have been bearing the brunt of that for more than a year now,” she said.
Instead of repairing the defect, the authorities simply disconnected the supply, pushing the family into a dire situation. The Kochar Road Residents’ Association (KORAS) has taken the issue up with the authorities.
“The leak happened on the public road, and it’s the responsibility of the authorities to fix that . It’s totally unfair to punish a family, that too for over a year. We have decided to intensify the protest. Accordingly, we will stage a blockade on the road, demanding a resolution to the issue,” KORAS secretary K Ramankutty said.
When contacted, the executive engineer of KWA, Vellayambalam division, said the complaint raised by the family will soon be taken up.