Ayikudi villagers petition Perambalur collector against digging of well
Comprising over a thousand families within the Elumur panchayat, Ayikudi village relies on water supplied by the panchayat through an overhead reservoir.
Published: 17th August 2023 08:24 AM | Last Updated: 17th August 2023 08:24 AM | A+A A-
Image used for representational purposes only.
PERAMBALUR: Residents of Ayikudi village in the Perambalur district are voicing their demand to halt the excavation of a well intended to provide drinking water to Andhur, a neighbouring village. The villagers contend that they themselves have been receiving water only once a week for at least five years.
Comprising over a thousand families within the Elumur panchayat, Ayikudi village relies on water supplied by the panchayat through an overhead reservoir. But with water supply becoming scarce over the last few years, villagers have had to resort to the village lake for bathing and laundry and have resorted to purchasing water cans from local vendors.
Despite the ongoing challenges faced by the inhabitants, local authorities are pressing forward with their plans to excavate a well within Ayikudi village, aimed at channeling water to Andhur. This has prompted local villagers to try and stop this, but with authorities persisting citing a range of reasons, frustrated residents have formally submitted a petition to various governmental bodies, including the district collectorate, the chief minister's special cell, and Transport Minister SS Sivasankar.
But action has been taken so far. B Vivek, a resident, told TNIE, "Owing to the prevalent water scarcity, we've had to constrain our usage to the bare minimum. Purchasing water at considerable cost and scouring for water sources has become a daily routine. The panchayat has consistently failed to deliver adequate water supply, confining us to a mere hour of water access weekly. Given the situation here, how can they transfer water from our village to another?
This could cause a decline in groundwater levels. Therefore, it is imperative that the project be promptly abandoned." S Vimal, another resident, said, "Our village has already been contributing water resources to Kallamputhur village through a well for many years. It is disheartening to witness authorities now planning to dig another well.
No heed has been paid to the views of the local residents, and our queries to officials have yielded unsatisfactory responses." When contacted, Veppur Block Development Officer R Selvakumar told TNIE, "Andhur village currently lacks an adequate water source. Consequently, with permission from the district collector, we are digging a well here to facilitate water supply to Andhur. There is no such water scarcity issue in Ayikudi."
