The mighty Bharathapuzha has turned into a trickle in the severity of peak summer that has raised mercury levels in places around the course of the river closer to 40 degrees Celsius.
As a fallout, a drinking water crisis rages over 175 grama panchayats and a dozen municipalities on the banks of the river in Palakkad, Thrissur, and Malappuram districts.
The situation is severe in Ottappalam and Shoranur municipalities where authorities have started supplying drinking water in tankers.
With the river’s flow now visible, the pump houses at Shoranur, Mecherikunnu, and Painkulam are unable to draw water from it. The temporary check-dams built by Kerala Water Authority at Shoranur and Ottappallam are also not able to store water because of the increase in temperature. The average day-time temperature in Palakkad district turned 40 degrees Celsius only three days ago.
Demands are already on to release water stored in Malampuzha dam but authorities are not optimistic about how far the stored water can help to meet the drinking needs of the region till the onset of the southwest monsoon.
Almost all streams that spilled into the Malampuzha reservoir have dried up. The long-awaited permanent check-dam at Shoranur-Cheruthuruthi region still remains on paper. Local communities are irate about the non-inclusion of it in the latest State budget.
According to officials, the Parali-Thrithala stretch of the river is the worst affected. “This time, the river dried much ahead of the summer.In most areas, the river looks covered with shrubs and weeds and no water flow is visible,’’ said Indyanur Gopi, a river protection activist.
Amidst all the chaos, trucks can be seen moving to the middle of the riverbed to collect sand.
“The government had earlier promised to constitute a River Board to save the dying river. Though the expert committee appointed by the State government had recommended the creation of a Bharathapuzha River Authority, no steps had been taken by the government to constitute it so far,” says environmentalist P.S. Panicker.
He also said the ongoing tree-planting drives on the banks of the river would not have any use now, as no plant can survive the heat. “In Malappuram district, tree plantation drive worth Rs.10 crore has already begun. "
