The attempt of three-tiered panchayats to create new potable sources of water to mitigate the summer crisis has evoked a warm response from some citizens who have handed over their land for the cause, free of cost.
According to figures available with the district panchayat, about 90 cents of land have been handed over by various individuals.
Vasudevan Nampoothiri, a native of Perumanna panchayat who handed over five cents of land to dig a new public pond, is among the first donors.
Panchayat member Rajeev Perumanpura says work is in progress in the area with the support of Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) workers. Mr. Nampoothiri’s gesture has encouraged several others in the panchayat to hand over small plots of land to set up new public wells, he adds.
Mr. Nampoothiri says local residents have been struggling for years to get quality drinking water during the summer.
“The panchayat authorities wanted me to contribute land for digging a well. I decided to hand over five cents as digging a pond will be more useful,” he told The Hindu .
District panchayat president Babu Parassery says several Non-Resident Keralites (NRK) have expressed solidarity with the drive. An NRK from Changaroth panchayat recently donated around 25 cents of land.
The district panchayat is trying to create at least 30 new ponds during the summer, he adds. A temple committee in Kottoor panchayat has extended support to the drive by donating more than 50 cents of land.
Arrangements are in place to dig a big pond in the area.
“The zeal of the public to donate land is encouraging, it will set a positive trend in society to address water woes collectively,” says MGNREGS joint programme coordinator P. Raveendran. He adds that the availability of land in various locations has led the MGNREGS workforce to create 83 new ponds and 99 wells.
