DHARMAPURI: Residents of Papparapatti town panchayat urged the administration to implement a project that pumps water from Chinnar Dam into the town panchayat for clean drinking water. The demand arises amid reports of acute drinking and domestic water shortages.
The Papparapatti town panchayat is a key urban area with 15 wards having a population of about 20,000 people. Though the town panchayat has a 4-lakh-litre overhead tank, several other minor tanks provide a collective total of over 6.5 lakh litres of water.
However, despite the large reserves and local sources, the town panchayat has been facing an acute water shortage. To prevent the situation from worsening, the residents are seeking a project to divert water from the Chinnar Dam to the town panchayat.
Commenting on this, resident S Chinnasamy said, "While the Hogenakkal drinking water and fluorosis mitigation schemes remain the key water sources, they are just not enough. According to data from the town panchayat, we receive about 4 lakh litres from the scheme, which equates to about 70 litres per household.
The rest of the water comes from local sources like wells and borewells. In most cases, the water is mixed, and clean water is not provided. We need clean water, so we are seeking water from the Chinnar Dam."
B Samikannu, another resident, said, "Water is supplied to households once every three days, and now, with the failure of monsoon, our borewells and wells have started depleting.
The Hogenakkal water supply is not sufficient for domestic use. We need a project that brings water from the Chinnar Dam. The municipality already has wells dug and bores diverting water to Dharmapuri. We need a similar project."
Papparapatti town panchayat officials said, "So far, there is no water shortage within town panchayat limits, and water is being regulated as usual. But it is true that many local sources are affected by the failure of monsoon, although the situation is manageable. Regarding water from the Chinnar Dam, it is a policy decision requiring large funds and planning, we cannot comment on this."
