TIRUCHY/ARIYALUR/PERAMBALUR: Marking World Water Day, special grama sabha meetings were held in 89 panchayats of Tiruchy, Ariyalur, and Perambalur districts on Tuesday.
During the meetings, authorities declared that drinking water has been provided to all households in the panchayats through individual tap connections. This project has been implemented in 51 panchayats in Tiruchy, 18 in Ariyalur, and 20 in Perambalur.
Panaiyakurichi panchayat chief Renguadevi Parthasarathy told TNIE, "We have provided 110 individual household tap connections under Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) for Rs 12 lakh. Through this we supply water from 6 to 9.30 in the morning and between 4 and 6.30 in the evening. Hence, there is no water shortage here. We are going to provide water under the scheme to other families in the village. Work is under way and will be completed soon."
A resident of Panaiyakurichi, D Lenina Marry, said, "There was a shortage of water here before the panchayat president came. Now we get regular supply."
Ariyalur Collector P Ramana Saraswathi inaugurated the sample drinking water testing set up on the Collectorate premises to mark World Water Day. He said, "Individual household tap connections were provided in 18 panchayats, including Andimadam, Thirumanur, Jayankondam, Sendurai, and T Palur. The public should realise the need for water and how to use it properly. People should implement rainwater harvesting system in their houses and buildings to save water during monsoon."
Perambalur Collector P Sri Venkata Priya, who attended the special grama sabha meeting at Vadaku Madavi panchayat, said, "Drinking water connection has been provided to 1,045 households in Vadaku Madhavi panchayat. We need water throughout the year. But Perambalur receives water for three months due to the monsoon. There will be no rain for the remaining months. We can all take care of our daily work only if we have access to safe drinking water. Therefore, we must protect the natural resources available to us."
V Gopal, a resident of Vadaku Madhavi, said, "We need more water as it is summer now. We welcome this scheme as many people suffering from a lack of water will benefit from it. The authorities should provide adequate water to people without reducing the time of water supply."