Leakage in drinking water pipeline that remains unattended for many years had resulted in wastage of many lakh litre of water at Lakkapuram Panchayat in Modakurichi Union here.
The panchayat with a population of over 12,500 people has 12 wards and water is drawn from River Cauvery at Parisalthurai and distributed to households through pipelines. A resident of the panchayat said that water had been leaking for many years from the pipeline located along the Outer Ring Road and no steps were taken to attend the leakage. “Hundreds of litre of water get wasted every day for over two years now”, said a resident, speaking on anonymity. He said that water from the pipeline stagnates in the farm land frequently and the panchayat officials are least bothered on the wastage of water.
Residents in Puduvalasu said that water supply was erratic as they were receiving water supply for less than 30 minutes once in three days. “We cannot fetch even five pots of water from the common pipeline”, said Tamilarasi, a resident. She said that even before the start of summer, they are facing water shortage and wanted the panchayat to take effective steps to solve the issue.
Another resident of the panchayat said since water distribution was not affected, officials failed to rectify the problem. “Though the leakage is minor, wastage of water when calculated annually is very high”, he said and wanted the panchayat to plug the leak immediately.
Recently, condemning the inadequate water supply, over 50 residents of Puduvalasu thronged the panchayat office and demanded regular water supply. They urged the officials to plug leakages in pipelines and ensure water is supplied to them regularly.
