The suspension of water connections for a drainage construction work without prior notice by the Kerala Water Authority (KWA) at Karaparamba has landed hundreds of residents in distress.
With summer at its peak, residents have been requesting KWA for over a month to make alternative arrangements as they have no access to other potable water distribution schemes initiated by local self-government bodies and the Revenue Department. They also feel that only a temporary water supply arrangement using the existing supply lines in each area will help in addressing the crisis.
“As the iron content in well water is beyond the recommended limits, we can’t use it for domestic purposes. Installation of own water treatment system is hardly an affordable choice for many residents,” said Rasheed Ali, a resident of People’s Road near Karaparamba. He added that several families were now managing with unfiltered well water.
B. Gopesh, secretary of a residents association, said KWA was yet to respond positively to the demand even though it was taken up with the authority several times with the backing of people’s representatives. “In the name of drainage construction, water supply was terminated without proper planning. Also, consumers were not intimated of the decision in advance. If KWA does not address the issue, we will be forced to take out protest marches or stage sit-ins front of its office to expose the laxity,” he adds.
Though some residents associations had plans to purchase potable water, it was later dropped owing to shortage of funds and difficulty in catering for a large number of people on a daily basis. S. Sreejith, an association member, said efforts to include needy residents in the summer water supply schemes of the government too did not evoke favourable response from the authorities.
Meanwhile, corporation councillor Beena Rajan said the local bodies were facing a lot of technical hurdles and financial constraints when it came to covering needy persons under the summer water supply schemes. “Only a few GPS-enabled tanker lorries were available for water supply within the city limits, and efforts are on to find a solution to the issue,”she claimed.