Kerala Water Authority (KWA), other Government departments and local bodies, as per the instruction of district collector, Sourabh Jain, have taken steps including sending potable water in tanker lorries and boats to those places reeling under severe drinking water shortage in the district.
The collector also said that a total of Rs 5 lakh would be allocated immediately from the drough relief scheme for undertaking small repair works in the water supply system. The authorities have pressed into service tanker lorries, boats and country boats in places where there is severe shortage of water. An official release said that priority is being accorded to those places having no supply of KWA water and places where water bodies have more saline content. A total of 7 boats, about 50 country boats, 4 lorries and 3 mini lorries are supplying drinking water in Kuttanad taluk. A total of 11 lorries are operating in Mavelikkara taluk, 4 lorries in Chengannur and 3 lorries in Karthikappally taluks to supply drinking water. As many as 20 vehicles have been arranged in Chertala taluk to distribute drinking water to the people.
Meanwhile, the collector has instructed all concerned to immediate submit small drinking projects for his approval. He instructed that there should be collective efforts by grama panchayats, KWA and Groundwater Department to ensure potable water in case of drought. KWA has been instructed to immediately visit the places where there is disruption of drinking water supply and take steps to solve them.
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Funds would be allocated in various places to extend the pipeline under the drought relief scheme.
Those grama panchayats which had so far not given any demand for public taps should urgently submit the same before the concerned authorities. The district also instructed the KWA to make effective the pumping of water and asked the KSEB to urgently solve the problems in places where pumping was disrupted due to shortage of power.
The collector reviewed the details of the supply of drinking water by various panchayats under the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA)-aided drinking water project. A joint meeting of the JICA-aided drinking water project director, authorities, panchayat deputy director and concerned secretaries of local bodies should be convened to review the situation and an urgent report on the follow-up action should be submitted.
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The Groundwater Department has been instructed to implement new projects to solve the drinking water shortage in Kuttanad. The sub-canals of Pumpa Irrigation Project (PIP) have been opened as per the order of the district collector. The PIP canal which had been closed due to harvest has been ordered to be opened as and when the harvest was over. The reaching of water to various places through the Kallada Irrigation Project canal was also under consideration.