Villagers lay siege to Collectorate demanding drinking water

Women from two villages target PU office pressing for the same demand

DINDIGUL

Hundreds of people from Navamarathupatti village in Reddiyarchatram union, holding water pockets in their hands, laid siege to the Collectorate here on Monday, to condemn erratic water supply to their village.

They said more than 2,500 people had been living at the village, which had been reeling under acute water crisis for the past three months. Repeated appeals to local body officials went in vain. Women had to trek at least three kilometres to fetch water from private farms, they said.

The villagers also said they had to shell out ₹20 per pot of drinking water and ₹5 per pot of water meant for domestic use.

Even as Cauvery Comprehensive Drinking Water Scheme pipeline was passing through Sullerumbu village, situated just one km away from Navamarathupatti, their village was not included in the scheme. The people had been pressing for the inclusion of the village in the scheme for the past several months, but to no avail.

If the village was included in the scheme, it would solve their drinking water problem, they said.

Women demand water

Meanwhile, more than 50 women from Sengurichi and Valampatti villages laid siege to Sanarpatti panchayat union office here on Monday, as drinking water was not supplied to the villages for the past three weeks.

Several villages in Sanarpatti union had been facing acute water problem for the past two months. No efforts were made by the panchayat union administration to streamline drinking water supply, they alleged.

The agitators appealed to authorities to streamline water supply immediately. Later, Collector T.G. Vinay assured them that he would initiate steps to streamline the supply.