Aluva municipality flays tanker water loot

Kochi: The war over water is hotting up at its heartland of Aluva where the Aluva municipality is enraged at the way water is being drawn by tankers flouting rules making the order of Ernakulam district collector Muhammed Y Safirulla to draw water from 10 wells near Periyar as cover. Aluva municipal chairperson Lissy Abraham told DC that the 10 wells allowed by the District collector are not situated in Aluva Municipality.

“Making the order as a cover, the tanker lorries are unauthorisedly drawing water from various panchayats and municipalities near Periyar including Aluva. Nobody is sure about the quality of the water drawn. Some are drawing water from near drains as well,” Ms Lissy Abraham said. She also said that water is supplied to malls and flats at the expense of the poor dwellers of the municipality.

“Already the situation is very precarious in the municipality with the wells in the limits drying up and unless the District Collector intervened and take stern measures to stop unauthorized drawing of water people in the whole belt will suffer,” Ms Lissy Abraham said. She said that she will take up the issue with District Collector on Monday when she meets him to review the preparations for the coming Sivarathri celebrations at Aluva Manalpuram. It is estimated that 10 unauthorised sources for drinking water are used by tankers in Aluva.

The Aluva Municipality had passed a resolution asking the District Collector to ban the activity and mount vigil to enforce it. It was following the recent strike by the tanker lorries supplying drinking water that the District Collector allowed drawing of drinking water from 10 wells. “Periyar is the lone source of drinking water for the whole Greater Cochin area for a population 35 lakh. It is now recharged by ground water and unmindful drawing of ground water would deplete this source as well which will dry up Periyar also. So it is of utmost importance to stop the activity,” said Aluva Municipality Councillor Seby V Bastin.