Zeal for rainwater harvesting units in Kozhikode loses steam

Many units are not operational owing to lack of maintenance

Even as acute shortage of potable water is troubling residents with summer gaining strength, installation of rainwater harvesting units has lost steam in the absence of promotional campaigns and financial support from the authorities. With declining field-level support, no Kudumbashree units or workers under the Mahatma Gandhi National Employment Guarantee (MGNREGS) are now on the field to take up such works.

Hundreds of previously installed rainwater harvesting tanks and roof-top harvesting units are non-functional thanks to absence of maintenance. Leaking cisterns and broken channels are a usual sight at the project sites. No professionally trained workers are available in the district to repair the units.

A number of rainwater harvesting units on the premises of various government institutions are defunct. Similar is the case with private and government educational institutions. 

“The previous episodes of rain and floods had hit several open wells in areas like Mavoor, Peruvayal, and Pantheerankavu. After floodwaters made their entry into such wells, the whole system became useless,” said C.M. Gireesh, an autorickshaw driver. He lamented that there was no help from anyone for the restoration of such wells and rainwater harvesting units.

Similarly, the harvesting units at Vengeri and Kakkodi have remained unattended. No repair work was undertaken in the last two years. Many well recharging units were set up at a cost of ₹8,000 each.

The worst-affected projects are in panchayats under the Jalanidhi scheme. Though high-capacity cisterns were set up, lack of maintenance support has left them non-functional. The local bodies entrusted with their safekeeping were also found to have failed to do the job.

Incidentally, the Kozhikode district panchayat and the District Rural Development Agency (DRDA), which were at the forefront of promoting groundwater recharging projects, have backed out of them. Though DRDA was instrumental in setting up around 7,000 wells two years ago, only very few are usable. The ‘Jala Subhiksha’ project, which was implemented two years ago, also lost steam with no follow-up action.