Rural water supply in Kathirampatti Village Panchayat, Tamil Nadu

Community Water Plus, a research project, has investigated twenty case studies of successful community managed rural water supply programmes across 17 states in India. Through these case studies, the research has gained insight into the type and amount of support to community organisations that is needed, and the resources implications of this 'plus' – in terms of money, staffing, and other factors. This document presents the case of Kathirampatti Village Panchayat (VP) in Erode District, where the Panchayat successfully manages the water supply.

In Tamil Nadu 93 per cent of Village Panchayats (VPs) are provided with Piped Water Supply. In Kathirampatti Village Panchayat, the transition from surface water to piped water supply system evolved over a period of three decades and today fully covers all the villages in the Panchayat. The piped water supply is facilitated by government entities that include TWAD (Tamil Nadu Water and Drainage), a dedicated Board which adopts a supply driven support model to ensure potable bulk water reaches the Panchayat. In addition there is the Block Development Office, which assists in channelizing various grants to the Panchayat.

The dependence of piped water on ground water and its over exploitation is seen as threat to the community's water security. Hence, the Panchayat is now using multiple sources and tapping water from the Combined Water Supply Scheme (CWSS), a bulk supply.