PALAKKAD:Potable water crisis continue to haunt the people of Nelliampathy with the borewell at the Pulayampara junction lying in disuse for the last one year and steps not being taken to repair it.
The borewells in Seethargundu, Pothupara and Chandramala are also not serving the purpose.
The borewell at Pulayampara, dug 20 years ago by the Nelliampathy panchayat, was of immense help to the locals, tourists and the plantation workers.
But for the past one year it has been lying out of use. Though complaints have been lodged to Nelliampathy panchayat president R Chithran Pillai, authorities are keeeping mum over the issue.
Plantation and General Workers Union general secretary V S Prasad said that “for the people of Pulayampara and those living nearby, the only water source was the borewell and a public well. But when the summer peaks, the well dries up which makes the 100-odd families living in the vicinity to depend on water supplied by tanker lorries”.
Chithran Pillai said that steps were being taken to repair the borewell. He said the panchayat proposed to construct a tank and install a motor to supply water.
He said that unlike other areas, it was not easy to bring all materials and workers to Nelliampathy as each and every small item has to come from Nenmara, located 35 kilometres away from the hill station.
However, tenders were being floated after preparing the estimates and the work to repair all the borewells will be allotted soon.
Prasad said that steps have been taken to repair the borewells in the nearby villages of Seethargundu, Pothupara and Chandramala in Nelliampathy.
Though a pipeline was laid to Tahnthipadi in Chandramala more than a year ago, there has been no supply of water through it.
General secretary of the Plantation and General Workers Union K J Francis alsocalled for the cleaning of the various ponds, wells and check dams which are polluted by garbage.