Many areas in Chellanam panchayat have been facing severe drinking water crisis for the past few days.
Tony Thayyil, member of Ward 15, said the water supplied by the Kerala Water Authority (KWA) in the area is not fit for consumption due to salinity. “As many as 200 families in the ward have been affected and we have no option but to rely on tanker trucks. We have staged several protests but to no avail,” he said.
According to civic representatives, aging pipelines and lack of proper maintenance by KWA caused the crisis.
Panchayat president Jessy Augustine said the problem is rampant across the panchayat. “Almost the entire panchayat is mired in crisis. We are told that there are not enough workers to repair the pipelines that were laid almost five decades ago. They are old structures and several leaks have been identified. They need to be repaired to prevent salt water intrusion,” Ms. Augustine said.
According to her, the problem will be solved by replacing the entire pipeline. The panchayat estimated it at ward 15, she said.
Panchayat Vice President Peter Shin said about 12,000 families in the Panchayat were affected. “The only solution is to replace the entire pipeline,” he added.
VT Sebastian, a resident of Ward 19, said the problem was severe at the tail ends of the supply network. “Most people run the tap for a while to flush out the salt water,” Mr Sebastian said.
Meanwhile, sources in KWA said the brine contamination occurs when people use motor pumps to pump water illegally from pipelines. When the pumps are running when there is no pipeline supply, pollutants and contaminated water enter the distribution network through leaks. “We are carrying out repairs to the pipes. We have also asked the panchayat to prepare an estimate to replace the pipes,” they added.
Published – 27 Feb 2026 21:28 IST
