THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The state government has decided to take urgent measures to address the drinking water crisis in the capital and improve preparedness for monsoon-related challenges, including waterlogging, coastal erosion, and disease outbreaks.
The decisions were taken at a high-level meeting held on Thursday, jointly convened by Water Resources Minister Mons Joseph, Health Minister K Muraleedharan, and Transport Minister C P John. Mayor V V Rajesh and District Collector Anukumari also attended the meeting.
The meeting directed authorities to ensure immediate water supply in areas facing shortages and asked the Kerala Water Authority (KWA) to prepare long-term solutions to address the city’s growing water demand. The ministers also instructed the KWA to strengthen measures to reduce leakages and transmission losses in the distribution network.
The city corporation and the KWA have been directed to ensure water supply in areas facing severe scarcity. As part of efforts to augment the water supply, the government will explore a special initiative in Kazhakkoottam and neighbouring areas in collaboration with IT companies.
Rainwater harvesting systems will also be promoted with support from the IT sector. The meeting further discussed ways to maximise the utilisation of water stored in the Peppara dam.
Officials from various departments have been tasked with completing the cleaning of canals and drainage networks in a coordinated manner. The meeting decided that officer-level inspections of the Parvathy Puthanar canal will be conducted twice a week. A special action plan will also be implemented for the Amayizhanjan canal. The government will assess the extent of coastal erosion in Pozhiyoor and Beemapally and take preventive measures. Permission will be granted for the deployment of geobags in vulnerable stretches to protect the coastline from erosion.