Poonithura residents seek urgent steps to address water shortage

Water availability is set to emerge as a major election issue for residents of Poonithura in Thrikkakara Assembly constituency. The region has long struggled with severe water scarcity, and locals say that addressing drinking water crisis and ensuring uninterrupted water supply will be their top demands this time.

Residents of Poonithura had earlier staged protests to draw the attention of the authorities to the matter. Achuthankutty K., a resident of Poonithura Kottaram Sree Krishna Temple Road and president of Vikram Sarabhai Residents Association, says that several areas in Poonithura do not receive water, and it will be a crucial election issue.

The worst-affected localities are on the southern side of Poonithura. The regions affected include Ayyankali Road, Jawahar Road, Subrahmanya Temple Road, and Mukkottil Temple Road. As many as 700 families in Poonithura have been affected by acute drinking water crisis, according to residents.

“The residents are likely to seek steps to address water crisis and mosquito menace. The issues will be taken up with all political parties,” says Mr. Achuthankutty.

R. Sankaranaryanan, a resident at Cherukottaram Road, near Gandhi Square, says that at the time of local body elections, water supply had improved slightly in the locality.

“The main issue is poor pumping pressure. Water reaches up to Petta with sufficient force, but the pipeline leading to our area is old, and the pressure drops significantly. As a result, we do not receive enough water,” says Mr. Narayanan.

V.P. Chandran, the councillor representing Vyttila in the Kochi Corporation, says that the ball has been set in motion to provide a new tapping from the Petta pumping line to the Poonithura pipeline, which could help address the issue to some extent.

“The Kerala Water Authority is required to furnish security deposit to the National Highways Authority of India [NHAI] for the repair work. The funds must be released, and only upon receipt of the deposit will the NHAI grant permission and the repair work can be carried out,” says Mr. Chandran.