The people of Elappully grama panchayat in the eastern part of Palakkad district are ecstatic. The panchayat has won the National Water Award for the third best civic body in South India for its water conservation and management.
Panchayat president Revathy Babu will accept the prestigious national award from President Ramnath Kovind in Delhi on Tuesday. Elappully was the sole panchayat selected from Kerala for the National Water Award. When Karnataka’s Yelerampura panchayat won the first prize, Tamil Nadu’s Vellaputhur panchayat won the second prize.
Elappully panchayat won the award for an ambitious water conservation project implemented by the People’s Service Society, Palakkad (PSS) with the financial support of the WaterAid India, a non-profitable international organization working to ensure clean water, decent toilets and good hygiene for all.
A PSSP team led by former director Fr. Jacob Mavungal, current director Fr. Justine Kolamkanni, former Animal Husbandry deputy director N. Sudhodhanan and coordinator K.C. Joseph effectively implemented a water conservation and management scheme named Jala Subhiksha from 2018 to 2021. An expert team of the Central Jal Shakti Ministry had evaluated the three-year work of the PSSP before announcing the award.
Elappully panchayat in the rain-shadow area of the district used to suffer extensively from water shortage. It used to depend exclusively on the canal waters from the Walayar dam. In areas like Menonpara, the people used to depend on tanker lorry for drinking water all through the year. The panchayat had witnessed even a farmer suicide because of water scarcity.
The Jala Subhiksha project begun in 2018 transformed the panchayat by addressing the water issue within three years. After initial surveys and awareness programmes, the PSSP team introduced micro water supply schemes in the wards hardest hit by the scarcity. Drinking water kiosks were set up in the eight schools and 32 anganwadis in the panchayat.
Rooftop rainwater harvesting was introduced for 600 buildings, including houses and offices, in Elappully. The harvested rainwater was double-filtered and used to recharge more than 1,000 tube wells. The hard water in the zone was improved through the ‘reverse flow’ mechanism introduced by the PSSP.
As many as 525 wells and 16 ponds abandoned because of water scarcity were salvaged. Multiple injection wells were constructed to recharge the groundwater using the water in the ponds. The PSSP ensured water for farmers by cleaning up the canals, deepening the ponds and introducing drip and tap irrigation.
A technology resource centre and a water quality testing laboratory were set up at Para bazaar in the panchayat. K.C. Joseph, who was the coordinator of the Elappully success story, has been given charge of the Palakkad district Jal Jeevan Mission.
“With the help of Oisca International, we have taken up the Jala Subhiksha work across the State,” said Dr. Sudhodhanan, who is Palakkad district president of the Oisca International.
