About 300 families in the 5th, 6th and 16th wards of Elamkunnappuzha Panchayat on Puthuvype island are facing acute water shortage.
The 16th ward, South Puthuvype, is the worst affected. Here, pipes are drying up and tankers do not supply water regularly. Lenin, a graffiti artist and resident of the ward, said about 80 families in the area depended on tankers for water. Tankers showed up once a week in his village, said Lenin
Of late, irregularity of the tanker service has worried the residents. Councillor Wahida said water scarcity was acute in 21-Cent Colony where 80 families resided. She said attempts to raise the issue with the Kerala Water Authority (KWA) failed to yield results.
Most families that stay away from the road that leads to the Fisheries Station of Kerala Agricultural University have bought tanks to store water.
The family of Mehroof, a Plus Two student, has placed a 300-litre tank by the road to store water when tankers arrive. On Thursday, when Mehroof was filling water in his aluminium pot, he noticed water in the tank was just enough to last a few more days.
A senior KWA official said water supply to Puthuvype island depended on the supply to Vaduthala pumping station. The station is directly linked to the trunk line from Aluva. Thus fall in supply from Aluva affects water supply to Puthuvype.
He said supply lines near Changampuzha Park were damaged during Kochi Metro work. This had affected water supply to Puthuvype on Thursday.
Lexi Sebastian, councillor, Ward 5 (Pookkad), said water supply had improved slightly after Onam. However, water woes of the families in the ward were far from over. Yamuna Shivadas, councillor, Ward 6 (Karthedam Church), said there was inadequate drinking water in her ward. Saline water on all sides made it difficult for them to access any other source, she added.
