Water scarcity proving to be a bane in Thiruvananthapuram

For a long, Thiruvananthapuram had the repute of being the ideal city with no issue of water shortages. While neighbouring Tamil Nadu still battles water scarcity, Thiruvananthapuram remained a haven for city residents. As the city grew, so did the demand for drinking water. And this demand has now put the water authority in a fix.

Lack of coordination at the head of the department and lack of quality in construction implementation are the shortcomings in this field. Apart from all this, there are frequent pipe bursts. Open the newspaper and it will be hard for you to miss at least one headline that mentions the water supply being cut off in some region of the capital city. The authorities are unable to resolve this despite the recurring issues that have now tainted the repute of the capital city.

There are many areas in the capital city where water supply is continuously interrupted. If there is a warning, water can be stored for two to three days. However, pipe bursts are instantaneous and come without any signal. This is enough to spoil the day-to-day activities of city residents. On another note, most of the roads in the capital city are now ploughed in the name of development. A certain amount needs to be deposited with the water authority for the demolition of any road and its subsequent restoration. Despite this, it will be too optimist to believe that the road will get back to its former shape. The city residents are now toiling under pressure, fighting traffic for hours, only for the developmental prowess of the water authority.

The misfortunes of the city dwellers started from the time when the water authority took over the water supply under the PHED department. In addition to the frequent water cut off, the bill that now reach consumers are breaking the roof. Along with this comes the frequent pipe bursts. And now, many rumours point to the presence of a secret group behind the frequent pipe bursts in the capital city.

Although the city has expanded into hundred wards, drinking water still remains a dream in far off areas. At least at the current level, the city gets drinking water from the stream of Peppara. Plans to increase water supply capacity and find new sources have reached nowhere.

The Neyyardam clean water supply project, mooted decades ago, is yet to be implemented. Vellayani, another freshwater lake in the heart of the city, remains unexplored. The Water Authority was established to improve operations and ensure an uninterrupted supply of clean water. Like many other public institutions, the new system is now burdening the people.