The residents of Thrikkakara municipality, facing shortage of drinking water, have called for the augmentation of the water supply system with a new storage tanker and the strengthening of the Periyar valley canal system that can recharge drinking water sources in the municipal area.
Frequent disruptions have reduced the supply of drinking water in several areas, said M.M. Nazar, a resident in the TV Centre area and former councillor. He said the situation was not so grim in the area, but it could turn worse as the summer season had only just set in.
M.S. Anilkumar, former president of the Thrikkakara Residents’ Council, said a long-term solution would include the setting up of a new storage tanker or providing a link to the municipality from the water reservoir being used by Fertilizers and Chemicals Travancore.
Salim Kunnumpuram, general secretary of the Thrikkakara Municipal Residents’ Associations’ Apex Council, said the authorities must pay attention to the long-standing demand for cleaning up the 16-km Periyar valley canal passing through the municipal area. If the encroachments are cleared and water flow is ensured, drinking water sources in the area can be recharged, relieving dependence on the public water distribution system.
A recent memorandum submitted to the municipal authorities said the encroachments could be cleared using the housing scheme announced by the State government for those without land or home of their own.
Kerala Water Authority sources said the municipality was being served by a system that envisaged about 20,000 to 30,000 residents in the area whereas the population had gone up to over 1.5 lakh. The growth of the municipality has been rapid with the establishment of new amenities and employment centres like the Infopark.
The municipal area chiefly depended on the Olimugal water storage tank with a capacity of 18 lakh litres, which was not adequate to meet the daily growing demand, sources added. As a result, most of the residential areas were supplied with drinking water every three to four days. The areas in the municipality such as Desimukku had been hit by damage to pipelines, sources added.
