Against the backdrop of the receding water level in major rivers, the District Development Committee (DDC) has proposed to hold a meeting to discuss the shortage of drinking water in the district.
Water supply
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At a meeting of the committee here recently, officials of the Kerala Water Authority (KWA) said that if the water level depleted again in the Vanimel River, it was likely to affect the drinking water supply in the region.
Canals and aqueducts were found to be in a bad shape in areas covered by the Kuttiady irrigation project. The executive engineer had been asked to submit a report. MLAs from the district promised to raise the issue in the Assembly. The officials said that the leakage in the Iringal branch canal of the project had been repaired.
The executive engineer attached to the Vadakara division of the KWA has submitted a report to the District Collector on the quality of water in a quarry in the Edachery-Chekyad area. Additional District Magistrate T. Janilkumar said that presence of coliform bacteria had been found in the water and it was not good for human consumption.
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The issue has been included in the ongoing study conducted by experts at the National Institute of Technology, Calicut, on the quality of water found in quarries, he added.
Change in colour
The officials said the Centre for Water Resources Development and Management (CWRDM) had submitted a report on the changing colour of open well water in Payyoli and Thikkodi. As many as 400 wells had been affected. Water tankers would be deployed there, they said.
Officials confident
The officials, however, expressed the confidence that there was enough water to cater to the needs of those in Kozhikode and Thamarassery taluks under the Kozhikode division. Water has been stored in temporary check-dams at 27 locations.
As much as 20 lakh litres of water was being transported through tanker lorries a day. There are three check-dams in Vadakara taluk, they added.