The Hindu : Kerala News : Four water supply schemes for Chittur taluk

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Wednesday, Feb 13, 2008
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Kerala

Four water supply schemes for Chittur taluk

G. Prabhakaran

Government steps in to end alleged social discrimination

The schemes will be implemented at a cost of Rs.3.15 crore
The schemes will solve water problems in areas such as Plachimada

PALAKKAD: The State government will implement four water supply schemes to solve shortage of drinking water in Chittur taluk.

The decision comes in the wake of reports of alleged social discrimination against the backward classes in the sharing of drinking water in Perumatty, Vadakarapathy and Eruthempathy panchayats, particularly in Plachimada and Ozhalapathy villages.

The water supply schemes will be implemented at a cost of Rs. 3.15 crore.

Major project

The major project under the scheme is the Rs.2.84-crore Perumatty and Pattencherry integrated water supply scheme. It will use the Kunnamkattupathy dam water as source. The project will be completed this year.

District Collector K.S. Sreenivas had convened a meeting of local bodies and people’s representatives last week and finalised three water supply schemes which would be jointly implemented by the Kerala Water Authority (KWA) and the Chittur block panchayat.

The other schemes are the Rs.27.5-lakh Kamaraj Nagar scheme at Eruthenpathy and the Rs.7-lakh scheme at Ozhalapathy.

These schemes will solve the water problems in areas like Plachimada also where the bottling plant of Coca-Cola is located. The agitation by the local people at Plachimada against the exploitation of groundwater resources by the soft drink giant had drawn international attention.

Discrimination

Reports of alleged social discrimination in the sharing of potable water were received with shock, especially as Kerala is known for its high social standards and total literacy.

The reports revealed that accessibility to drinking water was denied to the poor in areas like Kuppandakoundannur in Ozhalapathy village in Vadakarapathy panchayat. The district administration, which investigated the complaints, found that rich landlords resorted to social discrimination to bring back farm workers who had left to work in the Government’s employment assurance scheme under the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme, which promised to provide 100 days job in a year.

The labourers, mostly landless, depended on the water source of the landlord for their drinking water needs. They were also dependent on the landlords for their social and economic needs.

Landlords’ role

The landlords have considerable influence on these poor sections of the people in these areas unlike in other parts of the district, as large tracts of landed property are owned by joint families and individuals.

Some teashops in the area still keep separate glasses for people of certain low castes. The shopowners admit that they resort to this practice to ensure that they do not lose the business of the dominant community.

The State government and the State Human Rights Commission have ordered an inquiry into reports of ‘hidden untouchability’ in parts of Chittur taluk.

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