Erratic water supply has forced the residents of Pulikuttai village to fetch water from Tirupattur and Jolarpet towns. They staged a protest on Tirupattur-Salem Main Road on Saturday demanding the resumption of regular water supply.
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Irked over erratic water supply, residents (mostly women) of Pulikuttai village on Saturday staged a protest with empty pots on the Tirupattur-Salem Main Road demanding the immediate resumption of water supply to their village.
Irregular supply of potable water, coupled with the soaring temperature, has taken a toll on household chores in recent weeks in Pulikuttai village (about 10 km from Tirupattur town), rue the protesting residents. The village comprises nine wards that come under the Gudiyatham panchayat union near Jolarpet town, Vellore district. The village consists of 15 remote hamlets and 1,800 families.
Water supply to households, including street corner tanks, has not been provided by the local panchayat on a regular basis due to the soaring heat. This has forced the residents to traverse at least 10 km to fetch a few pots of water from Tirupattur and Jolarpet towns.
“The water supply to households in the hamlet has been discontinued for many days. As groundwater in the area is salty, we depend on water provided by the civic body for consumption,” said K. Vembu, a resident. Among the 15 hamlets, Pulikuttai hamlet alone houses 160 families, who depend on the water supplied by the panchayat.
Demanding water supply
Around 11 a.m. on Saturday, the residents blocked the stretch, demanding the resumption of water supply.
Based on an alert, Tirupattur Taluk police and revenue officials arrived at the spot and pacified the agitated residents, following which the latter dispersed. “We have instructed the panchayat officials to ensure regular water supply for consumption. We will also ensure that such basic amenities are available to residents without delay,” K. Revathy, Tahsildar (Tirupattur), told The Hindu.
Panchayat officials said that, on an average, 2.4 lakh litres of water is required for household consumption every day. The water is primarily sourced from the five borewells in Pulikuttai village and three borewells from neighbouring villages. Water from these borewells is pumped to 16 overhead tanks in the village to provide water through pipelines and street corner taps.
However, panchayat officials said extreme heat has reduced the water levels in all the borewells of the civic body. Water supplied through tankers in tractors also proved costly and insufficient to meet the needs of the panchayat.
Officials said four alternative spots in the affected hamlet have been identified. A new borewell will be dug up in one of the spots where the groundwater is high. Water from the neighbouring villages will be supplied to the affected village through an existing pipeline network until the regular water supply resumes, they added.