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.