Households in Udarasiromani Road, a residential area in the heart of the capital city, have reportedly been experiencing acute water shortage for months. The residents accuse the Kerala Water Authority (KWA) of ignoring the situation despite repeated complaints.
These days, it would come as no surprise that the residents here figure among the capital city’s earliest risers. They do it out of necessity, as drinking water begins trickling out of the taps only by 2 or 3 a.m. The taps run dry in three to four hours. This has been the case for nearly a year in this residential area, which is close to Jala Bhavan, the KWA headquarters at Vellayambalam.
“'Once the taps run dry, they remains dry for the rest of the day. This was the case today (Sunday) and this has been the situation for months. Once, after we complained, the supply was restored for about two weeks. Then the situation was back to square one,”' Geetha Sunu, a resident said. “'Water is a basic necessity. There are many residents here who face hardships due to the problem,”' she said.
Water tankers
With no running water for most of the day, residents have had to depend water tankers on occasion to meet their water requirements. They also suspect that the increase in the number of flats in this locality too is part of the water problem.
“'We rise daily at 4 a.m. to collect water for cooking. Some residents have borewells or wells. We don't know how long this will continue,” said Bhagavathy Marthandan, another resident of Udarasiromani Road.
“'KWA officers told us once the new pipeline was laid, our problem would be solved. But our situation is still the same,” she said.
On their part, KWA officials admit that the Udarasiromany Road and its neighbourhood did face water problems. “But recently, we have not received any complaints,”' Ajith, the KWA assistant engineer in charge of the region, said.
KWA officials say that a long-term solution to the water woes of the capital city will be possible only with the commissioning of the new 75 MLD (million litres a day) water treatment plant at Aruvikkara in March 2020. Construction is under way on this project.
New plant
The KWA also expects to commission a permanent 100 MLD treatment plant at Neyyar by March 2021.
