Uliya: Several families residing in Madhur panchayat in Kasaragod district are waiting for water even 10 years after the construction of a storage tank and laying of pipelines in the area. The water supply project intended to benefit people belonging to scheduled caste communities was implemented at Chenakode in the panchayat during 2014-15 spending ₹9,94,086. Under the project, a nearby pond had to be cleaned to source the water, which would then be supplied to the households by building a tank and laying pipelines.

After complaints were raised that the project did not supply even a single drop of water, the panchayat installed a borewell close to the water tank in 2022-23. Even though the borewell has sufficient water, the residents have gained nothing as a power connection to pump the water to the houses is yet to be given.

The water tank of 10,000-litre capacity and pipelines came up under a Central Government scheme for Scheduled Caste communities. After the borewell dug by the panchayat two years ago also yielded no water, residents in the area have been forced to install borewells on their own plots.

M K Babu, a resident of Chenakode had filed a complaint with the Chief Minister over these developments. In a reply dated September 19 last year, the panchayat secretary said that measures were being implemented to extend the pipelines using the own funds of the panchayat. Efforts were also being taken to make the project to supply potable water functional by including it under the panchayat works, the secretary added. However, no follow-up measures have been taken during the last 10 months.

Reacting to the issue, vice-president of Madhur panchayat Smija Vinod said that four families had received water from the tank, which was built 10 years ago. “However, the project was stalled when the pond did not have sufficient water in April and May. The power supply to the tank was also disconnected. We have to install a post to obtain electric connection for the borewell dug two years ago. There was a delay in this regard because the landowner did not give the necessary permission. We are taking suitable measures to solve the issue,” she said.