Irregular water supply forced thumberi residents to travel at least 5-10 km to fetch water from Vaniyambadi and Natrampalli towns. | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement Residents, mostly women, blocked the Thumberi Kott Road near Vaniyambadi town in Tirupattur on Tuesday, demanding immediate resumption of water supply for household consumption. Thumberi residents said the water supply to households including street corner tanks had not been provided by the local panchayat on a regular basis, despite soaring temperatures and dry borewells. Thumberi village comprises nine wards that fall under Natrampalli panchayat union which consists of 18 remote hamlets with around 5,500 families. Among them, Thumberi alone has around 650 families, who depend on water supplied by the panchayat. Irregular water supply has forced residents to travel at least 5-10 km to fetch water from Vaniyambadi and Natrampalli towns. “Panchayat has completely stopped water supply to households in the hamlet for many days. We depend solely on water provided by the civic body for consumption, as groundwater in the area is salty,” said C. Devika, a resident. Panchayat officials said that extreme heat for the past few weeks has reduced water levels in all five borewells of the village. Damaged pipelines have complicated the existing water problem. Repair work of the pipelines was delayed due to Vinayaka Chaturthi celebrations last week as workers were not available.“Water pipelines were damaged that resulted in low flow of water to tail-end areas in the village. Steps have been taken to re-lay entire damaged pipelines in the affected areas,” S. Krishnamurthy, village panchayat president, told The Hindu.Panchayat officials said on an average, 3.5 lakh litres of water is required for household consumption alone every day. Most of the water is sourced from five borewells in the village and another three borewells from neighbouring Alanallur village where the groundwater level is high and fit for consumption. Water from these borewells is pumped to 16 overhead tanks in the village.Residents blocked the stretch around 11 a.m. Based on alert, Vaniyambadi Taluk police and revenue officials rushed to the spot and pacified the agitated residents, who dispersed after assurance from authorities.  Published – September 10, 2024 11:53 pm IST