No water for Cheruvakkal residents for nearly a week

T'puram: Residents of Cheruvakkal near Sreekaryam have been left without drinking water for nearly a week after supply dropped to near zero, exposing the strain on the city's ageing distribution network and delays in restoring disrupted lines during peak summer demand.The crisis, which has been brewing over the past three months, worsened sharply last week, with households receiving no piped water at all. The disruption has also affected neighbouring Pulayanarkotta while complaints of irregular supply have emerged from Akkulam, Ulloor Prasanth Nagar, a place near HLL Lifecare factory and near College of Engineering, pointing to a wider problem across the capital. Residents allege that delays in repair work and inadequate maintenance of pipelines have prolonged the crisis. Bindu S, ward member and a resident of Cheruvakkal, said the area had never faced such a severe shortage in recent years."We have not experienced a crisis like this. Water supply disruption started around three months ago, but the situation worsened steadily. Supply has been completely cut off for the past one week. Although water tankers are being arranged in some areas, they cannot reach many low-lying regions. People there are left with no choice but to buy water or depend entirely on wells," she said.Residents say the disruption has severely affected daily life, with households struggling to meet basic needs."Families are finding it difficult to do cooking, washing and other daily activities. Buying water regularly is expensive and not a sustainable solution," said Krishna K, another resident.Water tankers have been deployed in several residential pockets to ease the shortage, but uneven access has left many without reliable alternatives. The situation is particularly acute in areas where terrain and narrow roads restrict tanker movement.Kerala Water Authority officials attributed the disruption to technical issues in the system. "The interruption in water supply is due to air blocks in the pipeline. Efforts are on to clear the issue and restore normal supply at the earliest," an official said.