Poonithura reels under acute water shortage as residents intensify stir

Faced with an acute drinking water crisis, residents of Poonithura have intensified their stir and warned of a round-the-clock strike if the matter is not resolved within a week. The other day, they had staged a protest in front of the Kerala Water Authority (KWA) office at Vyttila.

According to residents of Division 46, the southern region of Poonithura had been experiencing severe water shortage for the past two years, and it was exacerbated by the partial collapse of the Thammanam water storage tank last year.

V.P. Chandran, councillor representing Vyttila, said that over 600 families had been affected and called for an early resolution of the issue. “The area has been grappling with water shortage for long, but the crisis became more pronounced after the partial collapse of the Thamman storage tank. If something were to happen to the other chamber of the tank, the whole area would be deprived of water. At present, water is supplied through tanker lorries, but it does not constitute a permanent solution. Furthermore, huge tankers cannot navigate pocket roads, thus depriving several interior regions of water supply,” he said.

The issue is not lack of water supply, but the management of existing resources, according to Sankaranarayanan K.S., secretary of Mukkottil Temple Road Residents Association, Poonithura. “These are regions without water supply. As a result, residents are forced to rely on tanker lorries. Further, the elderly find it particularly difficult to fetch water from tankers,” he said.

At a meeting on January 13, District Collector G. Priyanka had directed the authorities to take steps to resolve water shortage in the region. “Despite assurances that the issue would be addressed in 15 days, no action has been taken on the ground,” he added.

The regions affected include Gandhi Square, Jawahar Road, Mukkottil Temple Road, and Ayyankali Road.

Meanwhile, sources in the KWA said the issue could be resolved by providing a new tapping from the Petta pumping line to the Poonithura pipeline. This involves digging the NH 85 stretch at Pettah, which requires approval from the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI). Incidentally, the report and sketches submitted by the KWA earlier were returned citing technical issues. “We have resubmitted the required documents to the NHAI, and once clearance is obtained, work can begin. Besides, we need to give an interconnection at Poonnurunni, between the pumping line from the Maradu plant to the Petta pumping line. This requires funding of approximately ₹20 lakh and is subject to government approval,” the sources said.