Potable water supply by various youth organisations and political party workers has come as a relief for several households in drought-hit villages in Kozhikode. Many volunteers are using their own funds to continue the initiative as several local water sources have dried up.
Free supply of water is under way in several villages in Vadakara, Koyilandy and Thamarassery taluks, which are among the worst affected. Coastal areas in Vadakara and Koyilandy are also being covered. Efforts are also on to increase the frequency of supply and cover more affected areas in these taluks.
Meanwhile, the summer water supply schemes of various local bodies and the Revenue department are yet to get on track in many villages. Though there were promises to set up water kiosks in various villages, no spots have been identified yet. Work on increasing the number of water connections is also moving at a snail’s pace in many locations.
“Ahead of setting up water kiosks, the local administrators can easily think of supplying water using tanker lorries. Till date, no tanker lorry assigned by local administrators has started water supply in the drought-hit areas,” said P. Ahammed, a former local body member from Thamarassery taluk. He said the Revenue officials were yet to plan the movement of water supply tankers covering the worst-affected areas.
Some local administrators in Vadakara taluk claimed that the water supply using tanker lorries could be launched only after clearing a number of technical hurdles. Only approved tanker lorries with proper licence could be used for the purpose, they said, adding that a solution would be found within a couple of weeks.
Summer season affects the availability of potable water in 1,226 wards coming under various local bodies in Kozhikode. To mitigate the crisis, one of the main strategies adopted over the past years has been the opening of special water kiosks.
According to Revenue department sources, the district will have to get ready with at least 4,000 water kiosks to meet basic demands. Panchayat-level meetings would be convened soon to plan the exact location of kiosks, ensuring at least one in each ward by mid-April, they added.
