Kanthapuram urges to solve drinking water

KOCHI: All India Sunni Jam-Iyyathul Ulama general secretary Kanthapuram A P Aboobacker Musaliyar has urged municipalities and grama panchayats to effectively intervene in finding a solution to the severe drinking water crisis in the state. Speaking at a reception accorded to the Kerala Yathra here on Monday, Kanthapuram asked the government to formulate a comprehensive water policy.


The government should prevent the move by private agencies to cash in on the water scarcity, he said, adding that the local self-government bodies should take up the responsibility of drinking water distribution. Those trying to distribute unhygienic water should be brought before the law, he said.

Kanthapuram pointed out the need for government agencies like the Water Authority to ensure the quality of drinking water distributed. “Private agencies should not be permitted to pilfer public water sources. The ownership of public places like rivers should be entrusted to local bodies. Further, there should be a system for waste treatment at the source itself. Waste treatment systems should be made mandatory at residences and garbage from the cities should not be dumped in rural areas. Strict action should be taken against those dumping waste at public places and water bodies,” he said. Kanthapuram stressed the need for local action forums to monitor waste treatment.

The ‘emotional’ politics being played in the state will only lead to communalisation and will finally result in social division, he said.