163 local body wards identified as ‘water-stress’ hotspots in Kerala’s Alappuzha district

Study reveals acute water shortage in 163 wards in Alappuzha, Kerala, urging sustainable solutions for domestic water scarcity.

Despite having a network of rivers, canals and lakes, 163 wards in 28 local bodies in Alappuzha district of Kerala face an acute shortage of water for domestic use, especially during the summer months, a recent study has revealed.

The study titled ‘Identification of Water Stress Hotspots for Domestic Use Across Kerala’ was initiated by the Kerala State Council for Science, Technology and Environment and conducted in 2024 by the Centre for Water Resources Development and Management, the Kerala Forest Research Institute, and the Institute for Climate Change Studies. The full findings of the study, aimed at identifying and mapping critical water-stressed hotspots across Kerala, have not yet been released.

The 163 “water-stressed” wards in Alappuzha are spread across 25 grama panchayats and three municipalities, accounting for 10.42% of the district’s total 1,565 local body wards. Despite frequent waterlogging, several wards in Kainakary, Thalavady, Edathua, Champakulam, Nedumudi, Thakazhi, Ramankary, Neelamperoor, Kavalam, Muttar and Pulinkunnu grama panchayats in Kuttanad face domestic water shortages, the study finds.

Water scarcity, however, is more worse in Aryad, Mannancherry and Mararikulam South grama panchayats.

The remaining water-stressed wards in the district are located in Thamarakulam, Palamel, Bharanikavu, Vallikunnam, Thiruvanvandoor, Mavelikara Thekkekara, Thazhakara, Arattupuzha, Devikulangara, Ezhupunna and Kuthiyathodu grama panchayats, as well as in Kayamkulam, Mavelikara and Chengannur municipalities.

While parts of Alappuzha are water-starved, the situation is even more severe in other districts.

According to the study, as many as 2,567 wards – about 12% of all local body wards in Kerala – experience acute water shortage, primarily between March and May. The worst-affected districts are Kasaragod, Thiruvananthapuram, Pathanamthitta, and Kozhikode, where over 20% of wards suffer “summer shortages severe enough to compromise basic domestic needs.”