Kazhakootam: Several neighbourhoods in Kazhakootam are facing an acute drinking water crisis, with households that once received supply two or three times a week now left without water for days at a stretch.

Residents of Kazhakootam, Narikkal, Chanthavila, Kulathoor, Attipra, Mele Thrippadapuram, Karyavattom, Chenkottukonam, Poudikkonam, Chellamangalam, Alathara and nearby areas say the shortage has persisted for months, forcing them to depend on alternative sources for drinking water.

According to Kerala Water Authority officials, repeated pipeline bursts along the Aruvikkara supply line and low storage levels in the Puthukkunnu and Manvila tanks are the primary causes of the disruption.

Although municipal authorities have assured that water tankers will be deployed to the worst-affected areas, residents claim most neighbourhoods have yet to receive them, leaving families to manage the crisis on their own.