Several areas in the Kuttanad region are facing scarcity of drinking water. The situation has been attributed to the negligence on the part of government officials in implementing water supply schemes.
Speaking to mediapersons here on Monday, Champakulam block panchayat president Moncy Sony said the Kuttanad Water Supply Scheme did not provide adequate quantity of water to the region.
Recently, the commissioning of the Neerattupuram water treatment plant had improved the situation significantly. But the southern areas of Kuttanad, which included Edathua, Thakazhi and Thalavady grama panchayats, continued to face acute drinking water shortage, Ms. Sony said. She pointed out that the region was supposed to receive 16 mlt water from Neerattupuram and 6 mlt water from Thiruvalla. However, the lackadaisical approach of government officials in implementing water supply schemes had denied Kuttanad access to sufficient quantity of water.
“Despite submitting petitions to many including Water Resources Minister P.J. Joseph, there has not been any favourable decision from the authorities. However, Chief Minister Oommen Chandy has assured to sanction an amount of Rs. 9.5 lakh immediately to address the problem and ensure availability of water at a meeting held at Thiruvalla in the presence of Kerala Water Authority officials,” she added.
Thalavady grama panchayat president Sushama Sudhakaram and Congress block president V.K. Vijayan Nair also participated in the press conference.
