Even as the Kerala Water Authority (KWA) has increased city water supply by another 10 mld, the grim fact remains that Jawahar Nagar, one of the plush residential areas in the State capital, continues to face severe water shortage.
Many of the houses here have gone without water for over six months, and, according to the residents, repeated pleas by the Jawahar Nagar Welfare Association (JNWA) to the Kerala Water Authority (KWA) and the local MLA K. Muraleedharan have fallen on deaf ears.
“At least 200 houses here are affected,” said N.P. Unnikrishnan, who lives on C street. “When we raise a hue and cry at the KWA, we might get water for one or two days. Then the taps run dry once again,” Mr. Unnikrishnan, one of the early settlers in the area, said. Only a few houses here have wells, others are forced to depend on tanker supply.
“It is a tough situation. Many of the residents here are aged, having established homes in the 1960s and ’70s. Their children are abroad and there is no one to turn to in such emergencies,” said Pradeep Chand, who lives on D street. Mr. Chand’s mother is 88 and bedridden. The family has been purchasing water from water tankers that ply the area.
Appeal to MP
According to the residents, only the O street in Jawahar Nagar is relatively well-off in terms of water supply at the moment. Kurien Mathews, a resident who is bedridden, said he had tweeted about the water shortage to Shashi Tharoor, MP. His house has a well, but the water level has dipped alarmingly this summer. With summer rains continuing to play truant, the immediate future remains bleak for the residents.
“This is the first residents’ association in Thiruvananthapuram. In the 1960s and ’70s, we used to have water supply 24x7,” recalled N.P. Vijayan, one of the first settlers here who lives on C street.