VELLORE: In May 2022, the Tamil Nadu forest department installed a water tank and borewell with a motor for the Peenjamandai village panchayat at a cost of Rs 3 crore. Yet, the residents have never received water from the borewell.
Instead, the 3,500 tribal residents of 14 hamlets in the panchayat still rely on water from open wells and public handpumps to meet their daily needs. Now, the handpump in one of the hamlets too has stopped working for 10 days burdening the women of Nakkinoor with long treks to fetch water from the well.
Residents blame official apathy for their dire straits. According to Peenjamandai panchayat president Rekha Anandhan, the borewell motor operates on both three and two-phase power modes. “On two-phase mode, it struggles due to the high power load so we are transitioning to a three-phase power system that has already been implemented in two hamlets. However, this is only a temporary fix. For a permanent solution, we will need an electrical substation here as promised to us by ministers.”
In the meantime, residents lamented of their need to rely on age-old, time-intensive methods to access water in this modern age. For instance, 21-year-old Lakshmi from Nakkinoor hamlet in Peenjamandai has to walk to the well 300m away multiple times to fetch 10-15 pots of water to meet her family’s daily needs.
‘18 overhead tanks have been installed, yet there is no water in Peenjamandai’
Other hamlets in Peenjamandai too, have similar complaints. The residents have been urging the officials to address the issue through multiple complaints and to appoint a tank operator to ensure proper maintenance of the water facilities but in vain.
“We may not be educated, and are somehow enduring this struggle, but now our children are receiving an education. We don’t want the next generation to face the same hardships. All we ask is for water for drinking and daily usage,” said 37-year-old Neela of Nakkinnor.
“It would be a big relief if the problem with the bore motor could be resolved so that we no longer have to struggle to fetch water using a rope from the well.” A resident from a nearby hamlet expressed a similar complaint, “Whenever officials visit Peenjamandai, water is conveniently available in the public taps. On other days, we struggle to fetch water from the open well.”
Srinivasan, a member of the Tamil Nadu Scheduled Tribe Malayali Peravai said that despite the installation of approximately 18 overhead tanks in Peenjamandai, there has been no water supply. “Residents have to struggle to access an essential like water. The solution solely relies on the authorities taking responsibility and addressing the problem promptly.”
Rekha Anandhan said the panchayat would seek funds to appoint a tank operator for further maintenance. “With the recent construction of the road, we believe that all works will be done promptly.” District collector, P Kumaravel Pandian, said the matter will be addressed, and tank operators will be appointed.