Residents of Thathaiyengarpet, the village panchayat on the border of Tiruchi and Salem districts, have been facing acute drinking water shortage.
Residents say the supply has come down, in a phased manner, to alternate days in the past three months. “Even that is not adequate to meet our demand,” says Rani, a resident.
The village panchayat set up a power pump-operated tank, but the water was not potable. Villagers want immediate restoration of supply as they cannot afford to buy water cans. Vellaiyamma, another resident, says they have to run from pillar to post to get water.
M. Ganesan, a weaver, said the supply was suspended on Monday following a breach in the supply line. Till last year, the Cauvery Combined Drinking Water Supply scheme was a big boon, as it had benefited the total population of 2,000 families in Thathaiyengarpet. The supply is provided through an overhead tank, and domestic connections have been provided to all residential areas.
The supply has been less than adequate in the last two months, due to drastic depletion of surface water level in the Cauvery bed. “There has been a scramble for drinking water in Thathaiyengarpet and women have to stock water by filling it in all the pots available,” he said.
Originally, the supply was provided for two hours daily. Now, it is an hour.
