Water poverty to be a challenge for Palakkad households: study

Government urged to initiate more research and action programmes

Residents of Chittur going collecting water at a well at Chittur near Palakkad.A research work conducted by Geography Department of Government College  at Chittur in Palakkad finds most areas of eastern regions of the district far below in the world's water poverty index.

With the fast drying up of water resources and alarming depletion of groundwater, water poverty would soon become the major challenge for households in Palakkad district.

According to a survey conducted by the Department of Geography, Government College, Chittur, Palakkad stands top among the districts in Kerala on many counts in the Water Poverty Index (WPI).

Money spent

Families will have to spend a lot of money in sourcing water if the situation continues unabated, warns research student M. Reshma in her study, which was monitored by Assistant Professor Richard Scaria.

“The WPI is a measure that combines indices of water availability and access with indices of people’s capacity to pay. The global measuring level is new to India but its parameters are very much applicable to Palakkad. Here the water resources are turning scarce and people would be forced to pay to get quality water,’’ said Mr. Scaria in an interaction with

The Hindu .

“Nearly 80% of the Palakkad residents approached by us for the survey remained unhappy about the quality of water available through water authority pipes. High content of fluoride along with large-scale contamination makes the drinking water unsafe. The situation would turn worse in the coming years,’’ said Ms. Reshma. Every year, a large number of cholera cases are getting reported from the banks of the Bharathapuzha, especially from Pattambi-Thrithala regions. “Water-borne diseases are very much high in Palakkad while comparing with other districts,” she said. While the household consumption has increased in other parts of the State, it has remained by and large stable in Palakkad in the last four years. However, the alarming depletion in groundwater level is creating a major problem.

Defunct bore wells

A large number of bore-wells dug in recent years have turned defunct across the district owing to groundwater depletion.

As per WPI yardsticks, Palakkad is in the 61st position, though it is yet to be confirmed officially.

“Deficiency in average rainfall is the most worrying issue. In the last monsoon, the deficit was of 34%. The government should initiate more research and action programmes to address the challenge,” Mr. Scaria said.