Kochi: Many parts of Ernakulam district, especially rural areas, are facing acute shortage of drinking and irrigation water even during the early days of summer. District collector Muhammad Y. Safirulla had said the other day that necessary measures were being taken to ensure adequate availability of water till May 31. But the interior parts of the district are getting saline water from water projects or no water.
The residents of rural areas, solely dependent on well water, are having a tough time as water level has plummeted in open wells. The rocky and hilly eastern parts and the northern areas of the district are facing severe water shortage.
Though Muvattupuzha and Periyar are the two major sources of drinking and irrigation water for the district, there are many areas which are not served by the two rivers.
Rural areas like Puthanvelikara, Thuruthipuram and Kanakkankadavu in Ernakulam and the nearby Kuzhoor, Poyya and Annamanada regions in Thrissur district, which depend on water projects in Chalakudy river, are the worst-hit.
“For the last couple of months, many areas in the village are not getting water regularly while many regions receive saline water from the Kerala Water Authority’s Kanakkank- adavu pump house. While the district collector has promised sufficient water supply during the summer, we are not getting even a drop of water most of the days. Families in parched areas have to shell out '300 to '400 per day for potable water supplied by private tankers,” said M.P. Shajan, social activist and former member of Puthanvelikara panchayat.
Farming in vast areas of agriculture land has also been hit. The Chalakudy river has six major dams, nearly 600 lift irrigation projects and 30 drinking water projects located in downstream areas in Ernakulam and Thrissur districts which are dependent on it.
