Drought in the Western Ghats Part 3: Ambulance service supplies water to 700 families in Kerala’s Kottayam.
Around 700 families in Kottayam town, a central Kerala district – where a 78 km long river flows and is home to the largest lake in India – were struggling to get drinking water until three weeks ago.
With groundwater levels declining at an alarming rate, the government tankers were not able to meet the rising demand and reach out to the needy.
In the town, there are 52 wards.
Out of it, Anandkumar distributes water at ward numbers 30, 43 and 44.
Anandkumar supplies around 13,000 litres of water four times a week in the three wards.
Otherwise, we will be suffering a lot in the coming years,” Seema added.
Reji Malayalapuzha, a green activist in Pathanamthitta bordering Kottayam district, said that due to less rain in 2016 and deforestation in the Western Ghats, rivers originating from the mountains were seen drying up at many places this year leading to water scarcity and drought in Kottayam, Pathanamthitta and Idukki districts.
The State Green Mission is not only holding different kind of awareness campaigns to protect water sources, it also is initiating river and lake cleaning programmes with help of local bodies all over the state to overcome the water crisis.
All the 14 districts received below average rain – the deficit ranged from 24 percent in Ernakulam district to 59 percent in Wayanad district.