New borewell for Chendathur village as contaminated water plagues its residents

New borewell for Chendathur village as contaminated water plagues its residents

A new borewell has been dug in the diarrhea-affected Chendathur village near Gudiyatham town in Vellore as part of resumption of water supply from the over head tank (OHT) in the village.

The initiative comes after an 80-year-old man died, while 46 others from the village were treated at the health centre and government hospital in Gudiyatham taluk for diarrhea on May 31 and June 1. Most of the cases were reported from four streets in the village. Water contamination from leaky water pipelines and unhygienic OHT, maintained by the panchayat, that supply water to these affected areas are suspected to reason for the incidents.

“Based on orders by the district administration, we have dug up a new borewell to supply water to the affected areas in the village. OTHs have also been thoroughly cleaned,” said S. Devakumar, president, Chendathur village panchayat. 

The new borewell is around 900-ft-deep as the area is an arid region due to its proximity to hillocks. Water from the borewell will be pumped to the OTH, which has a capacity of around 30,000 litres, to supply water to around 150 families in the area. The corroded water pipelines are also being replaced with the new pipelines to a distance of around 28 kms in the village to prevent any leakage and contamination. 

Ever since diarrhea cases were reported, water was supplied to the affected areas through tractors by the panchayat. Every day, water is supplied to these areas for one hour in the mornings and in evenings through public taps. A health team has also been deployed as part of the general surveillance against any illness for residents in the village.