Residents on the outskirts of Vellore and other towns in the district have been facing acute drinking water shortage for the past month.
Sathuvachari, Vallalar and Rangapuram, old town areas, suffer from groundwater depletion and depend on piped supply for daily needs.
In recent weeks, residents of several areas took to the streets many times to protest against lack of water supply. Many of them get supply once in 15 days and are in the practice of storing water in containers at homes.
Drought management
The district administration along with local bodies has drawn up a drought management plan for the summer.
The Combined Water Supply Scheme has given hope to the Corporation that it can tide over the water crisis to some extent.
A meeting of officials from local bodies in the district was held at the Collectorate recently, where officials were asked to take remedial action.
Accordingly, repairs to borewells and pipelines are being taken up in the Corporation limits. There are about 384 borewells in zone 3. Of them, 248 are in good condition.
Maintenance is being assessed in other borewells to carry out repair work.
An official said even on the outskirts, where population has increased in the recent times, supply is being maintained once in 3-4 days. In the next few days, all the repair works would be completed on a war footing as directed by Department of Municipal Administration and District Administration, he said.
Extending reach
“We have also taken up work for extension of distribution lines and providing tanks that will be filled with water through lorries. We are also looking at alternative sources to meet the drought,” said an official.
Water was available within 200 feet in some areas, while residents had to dig at least 1,000 feet in other areas.
An official from a smaller local body said the district administration should provide them with funds for drought management immediately.