Residents, predominantly women, blocked the Gudiyatham Main Road at Ulli village, approximately 10 kilometres from the Gudiyatham town in Vellore, demanding immediate resumption of water supply for household consumption. The demonstration, held on Saturday, comes after wells and borewells dried up as a result of the parched lakes and ponds in the area.
Residents blocked the stretch at around 11 a.m. They said, despite the escalating temperatures in recent weeks, the local panchayat has failed to ensure regular water supply to households, including the filling up of street corner tanks. The Ulli village has nine wards that come under the Gudiyatham Panchayat Union near Jolarpet town in the Vellore district. The village comprises 15 remote hamlets, with around 3,500 families.
The irregular water supply has compelled residents to travel a minimum of 5-10 kilometres to Gudiyatham and Pernambut towns to fetch a few pots of water. “The panchayat has completely stopped water supply to households in the hamlet for many days now. The onset of the summer vacation and the intense heat has caused an increase in the household water consumption,” said S. Vanitha, a resident.
Gudiyatham Taluk police and revenue officials promptly arrived at the scene and pacified the agitated residents. “We have instructed panchayat officials to ensure regular water supply for consumption. Additionally, we will also ensure that such basic amenities are provided to residents without delay,” stated S. Chitradevi, Tehsildar (Gudiyatham), speaking to The Hindu.
Panchayat officials disclosed that an average of 3.5 lakh litres of water is needed daily solely for household consumption. The majority of this water is drawn from five borewells within the village, and from an additional three borewells in the neighbouring Alanallur village, where the groundwater level is high and suitable for consumption. Water from these borewells is pumped to 16 Over Head Tanks (OHTs) in the village, facilitating water distribution through pipelines and street corner taps.
The intense heat over the past few weeks has reduced water levels in all five borewells of the civic body. So, a new borewell was recently drilled to a depth of 820 feet in Velayuthampatti hamlet, located near a hillock, at a cost of four lakhs. However, no water has been found in the newly drilled borewell, Panchayat officials said.
They added that four potential locations with high groundwater levels have been identified in the affected hamlet for drilling a new borewell. Meanwhile, until regular water supply can be reinstated from the panchayat-maintained borewells within the village, water will be sourced from neighbouring Gnanamedu village through the existing pipeline network to cater to the needs of the affected village.
