Slow but sure: Lone hand pump caters to four villages

While the groundwater level has dipped drastically in many places and most wells have turned dry, water from this hand pump still flows, but after every pail it takes around two hours for the next round.

However, women in Anaicut block union patiently wait around the lone hand pump for their turn to fetch water.

The hand pump at Kammavarpalayam in Sathyamangalam village panchayat of the Anaicut block union besides catering to locals has also become the main and only source of water for neighbouring villages, including Eachangadu, Mottur and Elavambadi. Womenfolk from these localities stand around the pump waiting for their turn, unmindful of the heat or time as the wait is sure to fetch them ‘precious’ pails.

Locals told DT Next that though Kammavarpalayam was provided water from an overhead tank, dwindling water resources had led to supply now being limited to just once every eight days. “Hence, we have to rely on this hand pump which is the only one available for three other villages as pumps there have dried up due to the heat,” Murugeswari, a homemaker, said.

This has resulted in women having to wait even well into the night to get their share of the commodity. Needless to say, the mid-day heat of the summer does not also deter them from waiting out in the open, with the vicinity dearth of any shade. “We have no other alternative but to wait if we want water,” another woman added.

Though the hand pump was replaced a fortnight ago, there is no improvement in the situation, averred local women. They also added that the deepening of the bore will help in ensuring better supply of water. Neither District Collector SA Raman nor Anaicut MLA AP Nandakumar could be reached for comment.