No labourers to clean wells, Ranni faces drinking water crisis

Flooded regions across Ranni in Kerala’s Pathanamthitta district are facing drinking water crisis. The recent deluge has inundated wells in areas such as Ittiyappara Town, Petta, Perumpuzha, and Vadaserikara, filling them with filthy floodwater and leaving a thick layer of silt at the bottom. To restore access to drinking water, these wells must be completely emptied and desilted. However, with rivers and canals still swollen and further rain forecast, undertaking immediate well-cleaning operations remains highly impractical for residents.

Finding workers to clean the contaminated wells has become another uphill task. Local well-cleaning labourers are currently unavailable, forcing residents to explore options to bring in workers from other states. The water crisis has been further compounded by the suspension of major public water supply schemes. Ranni MLA Pazhakulam Madhu stated that pumping from the existing water projects in the region has been halted due to heavily contaminated muddy water flowing in the Pampa River. Even the Angadi water supply project remains non-functional. Authorities warn that water distribution can only resume once pump houses are desilted and the damaged motors are repaired. Similar crisis has affected supply schemes in Vechoochira, Adichippuzha, Kollamula, Kurumbanmoozhi, Vadaserikara, and Ranni-Cherukole-Naranganam.
It is not just floodwaters that have devastated Ranni; tons of swept-up waste have now accumulated in public spaces. As water levels rose in Ittiyappara, Petta, and Perunad, garbage dumped behind commercial buildings began floating, eventually piling up in streets and bus stands. Plastic bags and sacks filled with refuse have littered major public roads. This massive accumulation of waste has doubled the workload of local panchayats, which are forced to hire vehicles to transport the debris.

Managing the waste has become a logistical nightmare. The state-run Clean Kerala Company does not accept wet, rotting organic waste, leaving local bodies with no option but to dump the debris in open, public spaces. Large quantities of rotting food, decaying vegetables, and grains have been piled up around Ittiyappara bus stand and on vacant residential plots. The situation mirrors the devastating floods of 2018 when damaged consumer goods from various state-run Maveli Stores had to be dumped in open grounds, triggering major sanitation concerns for local communities.