Chellanam Panchayat to go on an indefinite fast

KOCHI: Water woes of Chellanam Panchayat has reached to such heights that all the members, across political borders, along with the Panchayat president of Chellanam, have decided to go for an indefinite relay fast at the office of Kerala Water Authority (KWA). “The issue of water shortage has gone above all the levels of human endurance.There are areas where people do not get drinking water for more than a week.It is the salt water that flows through the public taps.The panchayat pays as much as `1,16,000 to KWA every year.Despite that the panchayat reels under water shortage on a daily basis.Now, the people are dependent on the water tankers.However, these too can be accessed only by the people living along the sides of the main road,” says Chellanam Panchayat president K P Thankachan.The situation is worse for the people living in the ward number 15, 16,17 and 18 of the panchayat.“About a month back, the northern wards of the panchayat were severely affected.Then the residents had launched protests.Since then, the only available water has been directed to those wards resulting in an acute water shortage in South Chellanam.In spite of all the so-called development, such basic right as water has been denied to the people here,” said O F Sebastian, a Chellanam Panchayat member.