Water scarcity in Viralimalai taluk

Both residents and cattle struggle to quench their thirst

A villager going in search of water on Tiruchi - Madurai natioinal highway in Pudukottai district.

Acute drinking water scarcity prevails in Viralimalai taluk. Moovalur, Kodumbalur and Kasavanur are some of the badly hit hamlets.

Villagers, with a couple of plastic pots, can be seen going to distant places to fetch water. Natarajan, a farm labourer of Kasavanur, said the groundwater table in his village has gone down badly forcing him to go in search of water.

A hand pump at about one km distance was potable to some extent.

Livestock owners have to go in search of fodder also in addition to water. Non-availability of hay and green fodder has forced them to take their cows to forest.

The groundwater table in their village has gone down from 100 feet to 250 feet. Attempts to deepen borewells have not yielded positive results, the villagers said.