Although the hottest part of the summer appears to be over, many parts of the capital city continue to face glitches in water supply.
Residents of Nanthencode ward, led by their ward councillor, staged a protest outside the office of the Executive Engineer, Kerala Water Authority (KWA), on Monday alleging that several areas of the ward have been denied supply for months. This, despite the KWA announcing that the city region will not be hit by water shortage this summer as the Peppara dam had adequate storage to last till June.
But the fact remains that thickly populated residential areas of the city, including Jawahar Nagar and Kanaka Nagar and parts of Palayam ward, continue to face acute shortage. In parts of Nanthencode ward, water supply is non-existent on most days.
On some days, there is supply in the early hours, but trickles to a stop by 6.30 a.m., ward councillor Palayam Rajan said.
“'This problem has persisted for the past one year, but it turned acute after August-September last year. When the residents complain, they get water for two or three days and then it stops again,”' Mr Rajan said. “'When we complain, the KWA blames the increase in the number of consumers and on arrangements made for supply to other regions such as Nemom and Kattayikonam,” he said.
In other areas also
Several residential areas in the Corporation’s Palayam ward including Lenin Nagar too have been facing water supply issues for months.
Jawahar Nagar, which boasts the city's first residential association, also has been facing acute water shortage for more than eight months now. On Monday, the protest was called off after KWA officials agreed to ensure supply till 8.30 a.m. on all days. On Mondays and Thursdays, the supply will last longer. Meanwhile, KWA officials also suspect a leak in the supply line to Kanaka Nagar, one of the residential areas in Nanthencode ward hit by water shortage.
“'We are looking into the possibility,” Suresh Chandran, Superintending Engineer, KWA, said.