KOCHI: Even as the city celebrated World Water Day on Friday, residents of Panampilly Nagar, Giri Nagar, Kadavanthra and neighbouring areas had a tough time due to disruption in drinking water supply. Kochi corporation councillors representing these regions said that water supply has been disrupted for the past three to four days due to repeated pipeline bursts.“People have been complaining about water shortage and we were in constant touch with Kerala Water Authority (KWA) to get the issue rectified,” said Giri Nagar councillor P D Martin.As people experienced severe water shortage, individual houses and apartment complexes, which have sumps, called tanker trucks for supplying water.“If water supply is not restored, we would be forced to take out protests. Temperatures are soaring and ground water level is receding. Public is largely dependent on KWA. They have a responsibility to ensure drinking water supply,” said Panampilly Nagar councillor Antony Painuthara.Meanwhile, KWA officials said that on Monday a pipe burst occurred on Gandhi Nagar Road. Though KWA could restore water supply by Tuesday, they had to deal with another pipeline burst in the region.“It further complicated matters and water supply to many regions in and around Kadavanthra continued to be disrupted,” said a KWA executive engineer.The official said that they have been working to restore water supply.“By Friday evening, we were able to start pumping. It is expected that water supply to all regions would be restored by Saturday evening,” he said.Meanwhile, agencies like Kochi Metro Rail Ltd (KMRL) and SCMS Group of educational institutions came together to celebrate World Water Day on Friday. SCMS Water Institute is conducting a feasibility study on the potential of rainwater harvesting at Kochi Metro stations.Members of Periyar Malineekarana Virudha Samthi staged a protest in front of the office of pollution control board (PCB) at Eloor demanding to put an end to pollution in Periyar River.They said that while PCB officials have access to clean and safe drinking water, residents along the Eloor industrial belt have no option but to depend on the polluted waters.

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