Velankanni lodges reel under water shortage
R. Krishnamoorthy
Nagapattinam, May 05, 2018 00:00 IST
There has been a spurt in number of pilgrims during the summer vacation
Hotels and lodges in Velankanni are grappling with water shortage as there has been a spurt in the number of pilgrims visiting the town during the summer vacation.
While drinking water is supplied by the Velankanni town panchayat twice a week, for other purposes like washing and cleaning, the hotels and lodges are dependent on water supplied by privately operated tanker lorries.
There are over 150 small lodges within a radius of three to four kilometres from the Velankanni shrine, and their water requirement goes up substantially during the week-ends.
According to Town Panchayat sources, the number of visitors during weekdays ranges from 10,000 to 15,000, and during weekend, the turnout soars to over 20,000.
Big hotels located two to three kilometres away from the seashore have been able to dig very deep borewells, to meet their daily needs, but those within one kilometre from the coastline are not able to derive any utility of the highly saline groundwater.
"We purchase water in quantities ranging from 3,000 litres to 12,000 litres on a daily basis from tanker lorries depending on the demand situation. Fortunately, we are not yet in a situation of lowering occupancy due to shortage of water," Kannaiyan, a functionary of the Velankanni Hotel and Lodges Association said.
The water is supplied by tanker operators who have dug borewells in private lands in the surroundings of Velankanni town including Sikkal and Therku Poigainallur village.
The town panchayat that sources water from the Kollidam Combined Drinking Water Scheme has executed two large tanks with storage capacity of nearly five lakh litres from where water is supplied to the hotels and residential localities for drinking purposes once in two or three days, and, at times of acute demand, once a week.
The local body has put up RO plants, each with a capacity to process 2,000 litres of groundwater, at 19 locations, to augment water supply across the 15 wards, official sources said.
With sea water ingress on the rise over the years, the hotels are in a situation of perpetual dependence on private tanker lorries.
While stating that salt water intrusion is a constant threat to groundwater quality, Mr. Kannaiyan felt the situation could be remedied through establishment of a desalination plant.
The small lodges in the region lack the financial mite for such a project that would entail enormous costs, he said.
We purchase 3,000 litres to 12,000 litres of water on a daily basis... Fortunately, we are not yet in a situation of lowering occupancy due to shortage of water
Kannaiyan
Velankanni Hotel and Lodges Association
R. Krishnamoorthy
Nagapattinam, May 05, 2018 00:00 IST
There has been a spurt in number of pilgrims during the summer vacation
Hotels and lodges in Velankanni are grappling with water shortage as there has been a spurt in the number of pilgrims visiting the town during the summer vacation.
While drinking water is supplied by the Velankanni town panchayat twice a week, for other purposes like washing and cleaning, the hotels and lodges are dependent on water supplied by privately operated tanker lorries.
There are over 150 small lodges within a radius of three to four kilometres from the Velankanni shrine, and their water requirement goes up substantially during the week-ends.
According to Town Panchayat sources, the number of visitors during weekdays ranges from 10,000 to 15,000, and during weekend, the turnout soars to over 20,000.
Big hotels located two to three kilometres away from the seashore have been able to dig very deep borewells, to meet their daily needs, but those within one kilometre from the coastline are not able to derive any utility of the highly saline groundwater.
"We purchase water in quantities ranging from 3,000 litres to 12,000 litres on a daily basis from tanker lorries depending on the demand situation. Fortunately, we are not yet in a situation of lowering occupancy due to shortage of water," Kannaiyan, a functionary of the Velankanni Hotel and Lodges Association said.
The water is supplied by tanker operators who have dug borewells in private lands in the surroundings of Velankanni town including Sikkal and Therku Poigainallur village.
The town panchayat that sources water from the Kollidam Combined Drinking Water Scheme has executed two large tanks with storage capacity of nearly five lakh litres from where water is supplied to the hotels and residential localities for drinking purposes once in two or three days, and, at times of acute demand, once a week.
The local body has put up RO plants, each with a capacity to process 2,000 litres of groundwater, at 19 locations, to augment water supply across the 15 wards, official sources said.
With sea water ingress on the rise over the years, the hotels are in a situation of perpetual dependence on private tanker lorries.
While stating that salt water intrusion is a constant threat to groundwater quality, Mr. Kannaiyan felt the situation could be remedied through establishment of a desalination plant.
The small lodges in the region lack the financial mite for such a project that would entail enormous costs, he said.
We purchase 3,000 litres to 12,000 litres of water on a daily basis... Fortunately, we are not yet in a situation of lowering occupancy due to shortage of water
Kannaiyan
Velankanni Hotel and Lodges Association
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