The premises of the water tank at the Parade Ground in Fort Kochi has turned out to be a dumping yard in recent months. Residents allege that people from different areas stealthily arrive at the spot and throw waste into the spot.
“This situation has been going on for months and there has been no improvement whatsoever. People come to the area and dump their waste near the water tank. We have been raising the issue for months together. But despite Fort Kochi being a tourist spot and a residential area, the authorities fail to take any notice,” said P C Thomas, secretary of the Fort Kochi Thamarakulam Road Residents Association.
The area which is under the KWA has also been raising concerns about anti-social activities. “Since the area is now covered with weeds and out of bounds for residents it has become a hub of anti-social elements. We have been repeatedly submitting requests to the Kerala Water Authority to clean up the place and allocate a security guard. Since it is the sole source of drinking water for thousands of houses in Fort Kochi, its security cannot be thrown to the winds. An ideal solution is to clean up the area and open it for the public as a children’s play area. This will ensure that the area is not abandoned and open for such anti-social elements,” said Fort Kochi councillor Antony Kureethara.
Frustrated with the silence from the KWA, the local body members are now considering approaching the Water Resources Minister on the issue. But the KWA authorities say that is not practical to employ a security guard in the area.
“We cannot employ a security guard in an area of that sort since practically there are many hurdles. The cleaning up has been taken up a few months ago. This will be taken up again,” said a KWA official Fort Kochi.
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