People facing acute shortage of drinking water in the wake of severe drought can now heave a sigh of relief.

The state’s first set of  ‘drinking water kiosks’ which will provide safe, potable water in areas facing water shortage, will start functioning from next week onwards in Kannur.

The proposal for setting up water kiosks in severely drought-hit areas of the state was mooted during a drought risk reduction meeting held recently by the Revenue Department.

‘’The District Collectors were asked to identify areas with maximum drinking water shortage in coordination with local bodies,’’  Dr Sekhar Kuriakose, Head of the Hazard Vulnerability and Risk Assessment Cell of the Kerala State Disaster Management Authority, told ‘Express’.

Setting up of ‘water kiosks’ was one among the 26-point proposals for drought mitigation, he said, adding that Kannur district took the lead in this direction. Other districts are also expected to set up water kiosks in water-scarce areas soon.

‘’Water kiosks are basically tanks with a capacity to store 5,000 to 10,000 litres of potable water. After consultations with village panchayat representatives, 55 locations in the district which face acute water shortage were identified,’’ Kannur District Collector Ratan Kelkar said.

Terming the water scarcity in these 55 locations as ‘’acute’’,  Kelkar said that wells in the area, which was the only source of drinking water for people, had totally dried up.

 The Kerala Water Authority will provide water to these kiosks on a periodic basis and the cost will be borne from the drought relief fund of the district administration. Grama panchayat members and secretaries will be entrusted with the task of maintaining these kiosks. They will decide the quantum of water needed for each family and inform the KWA of the requirements, Kelkar said. 

Though the kiosks will run for the time being using the drought relief fund, panchayats will be asked to use their plan funds to maintain it in future, he said.