It became a piece of big news that a resident who was fed up with not getting drinking water for days, locked the gate of Thiruvananthapuram Venganoor civil station and held the staff at gunpoint. Not surprisingly, the staff, and civilians who arrived early in the morning for multiple purposes, panicked not knowing if the gun was real. But Murugan, a local resident, created a tense scene for more than an hour inside the civil station gate with an airgun to intimidate the staff and convey the protest for the non-availability of drinking water to the authorities. Even though the police got the information and arrested Murugan and took him away, the issue raised by him remains the same. Not only Murugan, but all the locals are angry that the water for drinking and bathing, but also agriculture, is continuously cut off. Murugan's question of where to go next to get drinking water is very relevant.

Not only in Venganoor but many areas of the capital district are also facing severe water shortages. Summer has just begun. The news coming from different places shows that the state is already suffering from a severe water shortage. In Kochi, people have been protesting on the streets for four or five days. Housewives wait for hours to get at least one pot of water that comes in the tanker. A similar sad situation exists in many parts of the state. Even if honey and milk are not flowing, the government should be able to provide drinking water, which is the first basic human need, without interruption. The Water Authority and its Minister know that by the end of January water sources in the state will start drying up. No steps are being taken to make the water supply systems efficient so that the people do not suffer. For everything, there will be reasons to lay before the people. But isn't there an elaborate formal system to facilitate water supply by solving bottlenecks? In Kochi, the people of an area were invited to the streets in protest, and anyone would be shocked to hear the reason for the water shortage. Apparently, the problem was caused by the breakdown of the motors, used for water supply. If both motors fail, the water supply will stop. In the event of such a failure, it does not seem that it is because of a lack of money that they do not buy and keep another motor as a replacement. The Water Authority, which is allowing crores for contracts, can easily do that. But won't. That is the general nature of government systems. The last two rainy seasons blessed the state more than usual. The water shortage that we feel at the onset of summer is nature's punishment for not showing any interest in water conservation.

There is no account for the agriculture that perishes without getting water. The water reservoirs are full of silt and silt and the storage capacity is not even half. A plan for this too has been prepared and kept in the files. Only that it will not be implemented. Unable to get water, a responsive young man in Venganur went to the civil station with an airgun and protested, and was arrested by the police. But the time is not so far when people will come to the government offices to protest for not getting water. Without delay, the water resources department should come forward to take immediate action.