|
KOCHI, 12/03/2012, Strikes and agitation demanding
drinking water seems to have become a daily affair in Chellanam Panchayat.
With various pending
projects, the coastal panchayat has been reeling under acute water shortage for
years now.
Here are the projects and
packages that failed to takeoff: Maradu Water Treatment Plant Project The Rs
201-crore project under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) promises
to end the problems of Chellanam Panchayat once and for all.
The proposal for the
project has been in the pipeline for more than a decade now
Pipeline Funded by the
World Bank
The World Bank funded
water pipeline laid in the panchayat has proved useless.
For years now, the
pipelines have carried no water.
Also, it has been almost
25 years since the land for a water tank in the area was identified under the
‘World Bank’ project.
However, the actual work
for the tank kick-started only four months back.
Dry
Public Water Taps
The public taps in
Chellanam are no exception.
Some wards have as many as
17 public taps closely located.
While many of them have
turned dysfunctional through the years, the ones that are functional often draw
salt water.
Dysfunctional
Desalination Plant
Desalination plants have
made constant presence in the list of water solutions proposed by the experts.
However, the low cost
state of the art desalination plant in the area, which can purify water at the
rate of 2000 litres an hour, has been gathering dust.
Government Sponsored Water
Tanker Lorries
As of now, Kerala Water
Authority’s (KWA) water tanker lorries and mini lorries are the only respite
for the residents of Chellanam.
However, constant delays
in their arrival coupled with low quantity of water they carry have been a
constant headache for the residents.
Besides, the requests to
increase the frequency of their trips fell on deaf ears.
Meanwhile, KWA said that
the ever increasing city population is the root of the water crisis.
“The water available to us
is limited, while the population and the net consumption within the main city
has been on the rise.
The water reaches areas
like Chellanam only after passing through Kochi
city.
Therefore, the quantity of
water consumed by the city leads to a constant shortage in areas like
Chellanam,” said G Vanaja, superintendent engineer, PH Circle Kochi,
KWA.
Owing to the current
situation, Chellanam Panchayat members are set to hold an indefinite relay fast
outside the office of the KWA Superintendent Engineer.
It will start today
|