Tharangambadi Fisherfolk Struggle with Unreliable Water Supply

Rapid Summary

• Fishing villages in Tharangambadi taluk, Mayiladuthurai district, suffer from severely irregular and inadequate drinking water supply due to saline groundwater.
• Affected areas include Chinoorpettai, Chandrapadi, Kuttyandiyur, Vellakoil, Perumal Pettai, Pudupettai, Chinnangudi, and Chinnamedu. Residents report receiving piped water once every 10 days or longer gaps.
• Residents rely on Tamil Nadu Water Supply and Drainage Board (TWAD) water supplied from Kollidam infiltration wells but face erratic distribution schedules. Private sellers charge ₹7.50-₹10 per can during shortages.
• The Jal Jeevan Mission pipelines installed in some areas are non-functional as per locals’ reports; residents allege officials cite limited quantities of available water for poor supply management.
• Complaints also include the poor quality and unpleasant taste of delivered drinking water when supply is available.
• TWAD officials admitted source scarcity but claimed there might be oversensitivity to the issue while announcing a ₹2,200-crore proposal under Jal Jeevan Mission awaits government approval to improve infrastructure.

Indian Opinion Analysis

India faces important challenges regarding access to safe drinking water in rural areas prone to groundwater salinity like Tharangambadi taluk in Tamil Nadu.This disruption highlights the reliance on external infrastructure such as infiltration wells at Kollidam while showcasing gaps in effective distribution mechanisms despite aspiring programs like the Jal Jeevan Mission.

The issue underscores critical governance hurdles-communities feel underserved even after pipeline installations which reportedly disrupted roads without yielding functional results as yet-suggesting systemic inefficiencies beyond resource limitations alone.

The government’s acknowledgment of potential improvements via substantial funding proposals offers hope for long-term solutions but requires tangible accountability measures for execution success before these promises reach affected populations sustainably.

Link for Read More: The Hindu article