The News Review:

- Activists Pledge to Fight for Their Water
- Corporation plans own water supply system
- Water Supply and Sewerage Board admits negligence

Activists Pledge to Fight for Their Water
CBS News – Mar 18, 2006
“We will fight for the rest of our lives. For us, fear doesn’t exist,” said Victoria Martinez Arriaga, a 33-year-old Mazahua Indian woman who led a protest in 2004 to demand safe drinking water for local families. The demonstration temporarily cut off part of Mexico City’s water supply. Martinez stressed, however, that the last thing her community wants is violence. “Our wooden rifles are symbolic,” she said, referring to the props the Indians carry in their protests. “They’re symbols of the idea that we still can stop the wars for water from breaking out. We still have time to solve things through dialogue and understanding.

Corporation plans own water supply system
Hindu – Mar 18, 2006
Manisankar said that if no step were taken to solve the city’s water crisis, the council would go on a strike. A proper water supply system should also be the major project to be included in the Jawaharlal Nehru Urban Renewal Mission, which provided support for smaller cities to take up major infrastructure projects. Manisankar said that an agency should be appointed to make a project report for setting up the system. The scheme should involve bringing water from the Edamalayar and the Chalakudy river. He proposed that a route map of the distribution line be prepared, as the KWA has no idea of how the city has been connected with water pipelines… Sabu said that the water supply scheme for the city was an ambitious project and that corporates and the Cochin Port Trust should also be made part of it. He said that the system should be developed on the lines of the Cochin International Airport, which is a private-public joint venture. The council should take a legal opinion on forming a company if necessary, he said. Venugopal, Hamsa Kunju, K.

Water Supply and Sewerage Board admits negligence
Times of India – Mar 18, 2006
However, they are still not
ready to accept that the water was contaminated due to the lines laid by them. Notably, a PGI team has recently detected some points, where not only the water
supply lines were crossed through the sewerage manholes but the service
connection to the houses were also given from these manholes. Though the board is not ready
to accept that the supply lines were crossed through the manholes, The Times of
India, in a report published a few days back, had given concrete proof of it. Executive engineer of the
board MR Singh admitted that the line laid from Tubewell No 12 to the Shastri
Nagar area was crossing through at least six sewerage manholes.