Kadamakudy residents are on a high. After 12 years, the Kerala Water Authority has sanctioned water connections to the people in this island panchayat that had been seeing perennial water shortage.
The Kaloor sub-division of the Kerala Water Authority is witnessing a large crowds since Saturday when they started receiving applications from the residents.
To avoid crowding by large sections, each day has been divided for three wards. There were 620 applicants from the wards 1, 2 and 3 on Saturday. On Monday, the agency got 650 applications from ward numbers 4, 5 and 6. On Tuesday and Wednesday people from ward numbers 7 to 13 will give their applications. All those who could not submit on these specific days can later submit applications on March 28 and 29.
In all the 13 wards of the panchayat with a population touching 17,000, there are only 1,395 connections and each ward gets about two hours of water some time of the day. The water falls short of demand for even those who have connections.
The Water Authority officials told The Hindu that they had increased pumping hours for Kadamakudy recently since there was a water tanker lorry strike and that water was being provided from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Around 1 to 1.5 million litres of water is pumped every day.
However, it is the water supply project at Mupathadam (8.5 mld) that will augment water supply to Kadamakudy and Varapuzha. The supply source is the Periyar tributary at Eloorkkara. An official said that no date could be fixed as work was nearing completion and model code of conduct was in place.
Pipeline-laying work between Pezhala and Kothad (a distribution main for other islands from Pezhala is yet to be completed and it requires underwater crossing. The Puthussery-Pezhala pipeline is almost over. The project funded by Goshree Island Development Authority and Fisheries Department would supply 4.5 mld of water to Kadamakudy and 4 mld to Varapuzha.
Though one more storage tank at Mupathadam is yet to be erected, supply to the water-starved islands can begin once the pipelines are through.