Manapparai villages reel as drought, heat deepen drinking water crisis

Intense summer heat and failed monsoon rains have triggered an acute drinking water shortage across several villages in Manapparai, Vaiyampatti, and neighbouring areas in Tiruchi district. The problem, which began to surface in February, has worsened with the continued spell of summer-like weather, leaving residents with erratic and inadequate water supply.

Manapparai is a rain shadow region in the district, receiving scant rainfall even during normal seasons. While farmers depend on seasonal rains for crops, drinking water is largely supplied through combined water schemes drawing from the Cauvery river. Historically, the region faces water crisis during summer, but this year the scarcity has been more severe due to prolonged heat and poor monsoon.

Officials from the District Rural Development Agency (DRDA) said water yield at source points of these schemes has declined significantly due to monsoon failure. As a result, residents in at least 40 to 50 villages in Manapparai region are now getting drinking water once in three to four days, and in many villages, supply is limited to once a week. The erratic nature of supply has forced people to depend on borewells and open wells, but groundwater levels have been sinking drastically, compounding the crisis.

Villages such as Aniyapur, Sandhaipettai, Kuppanampatti, Kattayampatti, Veeramalaipalayam, Nallampillai, Udayarpatti, Balakulathupatti, and Veerappur are among the worst affected. Residents say even the weekly supply lasts only a few minutes and yields barely two pots of water per family, insufficient even for a single day’s needs.

Nagaraj, a resident of Veerappur near Aniyapur, said, “We get Cauvery water once a week. It is supplied only for a few minutes. No one gets more than two pots of water. It is not sufficient even for a day’s use. Moreover, the supply is erratic and we do not know when water is supplied.”

A senior official said the administration has instructed DRDA officials to prioritise drinking water supply. Intervention measures, including sinking additional borewells and augmenting existing water sources, have been undertaken in the affected villages. The official assured that water supply will remain a priority until the onset of the northeast monsoon, which usually brings relief to the region.

The situation highlights the broader vulnerability of rain shadow regions to climate variability. Experts point out that over-reliance on a single source like the Cauvery, coupled with depleting groundwater, makes such regions particularly susceptible to droughts. The administration’s response, while immediate, underscores the need for long-term water management strategies, including rainwater harvesting and recharge of aquifers.

As the summer persists, residents continue to face hardship. Local leaders have urged the district administration to ensure regular supply through tanker lorries and to expedite work on new borewells. The district collector has assured that all possible measures are being taken to mitigate the crisis and that water supply will be monitored daily.