Boothanatham Water meeting - 11-3-2005
The meeting started with presence of the village headman - Lingan from Hundi Moyar and members from the village with women participation of about eight numbers. Briefed the villagers about the water project in the Sigur Plateau and asked questions related to their villages. The women members initially were reluctant to attend the meeting, then slowly they joined in with the conversation.
Lingan says there is no cooperation among the villagers. The water pipe provided to them is leaking with no proper tap, the water goes waste when the stop cork is opened in the main GLR. Raju says the people do not know how to maintain the system. The children have removed the tap three months earlier. An elderly person says, the parents cannot solve the problems, so give the youngsters the responsibilities to maintain the system. People say, some person should take incharge for operating the system. Lingan says , a person cannot always sit simply for only that job, he has other jobs also to look after.
One of them had cut the hose pipeline into three pieces, people wanted to know who has done it and for what. This source is the solar panel pump to the poly tank and from where this pipeline is laid for the houses and for irrigation. Siddan confessed that he has done it and explained why he has done this, he says the women do not know how to drag the hose pipes, it gets bent and gradually cut due to rough handling. So he had to cut into three pieces to rectify the bends. The village headman has rolled the pipe and locked it up inside the house, he has said, let people resolve the problem and come to him for the pipes then he will place it back.
The people feel the water is taken to only one area, so water should be taken to all areas equally.
Lingan says, let the people take responsibilities and the pipes can be placed back for water supply. During the meeting women were asked to come front to take responsibilities and to solve the tap problem. Five to six women came forward in front of the village headman Lingan, Lingan then assured them he will give back the pipes. The people were not willing to discuss the problem face to face. Some assurance was given if they needed any extra pipes.
Brought Raju along with Lingan to the town and bought them a new tap to be replaced in the pipeline.
The participants list:
- Devang
- Balan
- Mari
- Sidhan
- Govind
- Siva
- Raj
- Mari
- Lingan (Village Headman)
- Basalingan
- Kallan
- Laksmi
- Ponniammal
- Marai
- Vijaya
- Vijaya
- Lakshmi
- Sumathi
- Rani
