Absence of drinking water supply along the four-km Swami Ayyappan Road leading to the Sannidhanam is causing hardships to pilgrims taking this route to the Ayyappa temple.
Many water kiosks installed by the Kerala Water Authority were found damaged and lying on the wayside. Tea vendors told The Hindu that the KWA water kiosks along the road had remained dry ever since the culmination of the Makaravilakku festival in January.
With a ban on PET bottles in place in Sabarimala, many pilgrims were seen desperately seeking bottled water from the wayside refreshment stalls on the route.
A medicated drinking water outlet of the Travancore Devaswom Board at Charalmedu, near Marakoottom, is the only solace for the devotees.
While enforcing the ban, the Water Resources Minister and the TDB had given an assurance that steps would be taken to ensure potable water on the trekking path.
14 RO plants
The KWA had spent ₹1.5 crore at Sabarimala and ₹12 lakh at Nilackal for installing 14 reverse osmosis (RO) plants and 120 drinking water kiosks at different points during November-December in 2016.
KWA sources told The Hindu that the proposal was to supply safe drinking water at Pampa, Sabarimala, Nilackal, and along the trekking paths round the year. The KWA had also signed a five-year annual maintenance contract with the contractors who had undertaken the project.
But, the authorities had failed to ensure foolproof functioning of the drinking water kiosks installed on Swami Ayyappan Road even when the pilgrim centre witnessed heavy rush during the monthly puja periods.
“The pilgrims had been let down by the TDB and the government. The authorities should take immediate steps to ensure proper supply of drinking water, at least along the trekking paths,” Rajagopalan Nair, a devotee from Alappuzha, said.
