Villagers near Sivakasi pool in money, set up drinking water plant in Tamil Nadu

VIRUDHUNAGAR: While the entire state is facing scarcity of drinking water, the villagers of Kallamanayakanpatti, a small village near Sivakasi, are getting free purified drinking water from a modernised water plant. All houses here have been provided cards. All that a resident must do is to scan the card to get drinking water daily.

Kallamanayakanpatti is a small village near Sivakasi Taluk in Virudhunagar district. 600 families reside here. Since the last 20 years, the village has been experiencing severe water crisis and the villagers have had to go to nearby villages to get drinking water daily.

To put an end to their difficulties, the villagers organised a meeting where it was decided to arrange for supply of drinking water by setting up a drinking water plant. The villagers also resolved to pool in the money for the project, without seeking the help of the district administration officials or the government.
Based on this, the villagers themselves set up a purified drinking water plant in Kallamanayakanpatti.

Initially, the villagers were provided drinking water based on their requirement, but due to the problem intensifying during summer, all the houses in the village have been given a card. When a villager scans his card on a machine in front of the water plant, he or she gets 20 litres of drinking water daily.

Thus, using an innovative technique, the villagers have resolved their drinking water problem, where every family gets an equal amount of water daily. The facility is open all through the 24 hours of the day.
Speaking to Express, a resident of the village, Thirupathi, said that using this new technique, all the villagers of Kallamanayakanpatti can get drinking water every day, free of cost. “We are very happy and contented,” he said.

Explaining how the system works, Thirupathi said, “A machine has been fixed outside the purified drinking water plant. Drinking water pipes have been fixed under the machine. The card system is like the one used by the corporates to maintain employees’ attendance. When people scan the card given to them, the water flows through the pipes. This machine also helps to prevent wastage of water.”

Thirupathi further explained that apart from distributing drinking water to the residents, water was being supplied to the primary health centre, the government higher secondary school, library and the EB office in the village, free of cost.

Instead of resorting to staging protests and road rokos, other villages could also adapt this system and avail free drinking water, added Thirupathi.