The helpline set up by the district administration to address water scarcity is receiving a large number of complaints saying that the water supply system being set up using the funds released by grama panchayats is ineffective. There has been a rise in the number of complaints too.
“We have been receiving calls from areas such as Kuttikkattoor, Ulliyeri, Feroke, Karuvanthiruthy, Unnikulam and Poolakkodu. Most of the callers are from grama panchayat limits. The number of calls is going up day by day,” a staff at the helpline told The Hindu .
There have been calls from areas such as Ramanattukara, Madavoor, Balussery, Nadapuram and Kakkayam too, she added.
The helpline became functional on Sunday and many people were not able to connect to the number as they could hear only a busy tone.
As it was a holiday, the staff started jotting down the address and phone numbers of callers only after the intervention of senior officials. The control rooms at taluk centres too are flooded with calls. The control rooms at Kozhikode, Koyilandy, Vadakara and Thamarassery are the busiest ones, say the staff. People complained to the control room at Kozhikode taluk office that water pipelines set up by the Kerala Water Authority had been damaged.
Officials with the District Disaster Management Authority said that water was being distributed through tankers to areas affected by water shortage.
Addresses of callers are being recorded and forwarded to village offices. Panchayat committees and ward committees have been set up to monitor water distribution.
