Residents of Perumpadappu, Palluruthy, protested outside the Kerala Water Authority (KWA) office on January 12 due to a severe water shortage. For over a month, the 100-plus families have struggled with drinking water that is contaminated with dirt and high salinity. They now depend on bottled water for daily needs. KWA officials say they are prioritizing the issue. "We have been trying to locate the leak, but could not identify it despite carrying out checks. We are still working on it. There is a section of pipe in the locality that goes underneath a drain. If the leak cannot be identified in this part, then directions have been given to replace that section of the pipe," KWA sources explained. Anil Anandan, a local resident, said, "If you do it now, you will instantly fall sick." He mentioned that buying bottled water has become necessary and expensive, as the supplied water is often blackish in color. Councillor Likhitha N.X. emphasized the seriousness of the crisis: "People are finding it difficult to even feed children. We are arranging tanker lorries to supply water as an interim measure, but that is not the solution." Another resident, K.P. Manilal, expressed concern about health risks: "Earlier, we faced scarcity of water. Now, we are grappling with contaminated water, which could lead to the spread of contagious diseases." The community awaits urgent action to restore safe drinking water and resolve the crisis.