Call to Revive 'Blue Brigade' in the City

Pointing out the need to revive the ‘Blue Brigade’, constituted by the Kerala Water Authority to expedite repair works,plug leaks and check water theft and misuse, among other services, in the city, the Kerala Water Authority Staff Association has submitted a memorandum to the KWA Managing Director.

KOCHI: Pointing out the need to revive the ‘Blue Brigade’, constituted by the Kerala Water Authority to expedite repair works,plug leaks and  check water theft and misuse, among other services, in the city, the Kerala Water Authority Staff Association has submitted a memorandum to the KWA Managing Director.

The Blue Brigade was constituted in 2009 in Thiruvananthapuram and Kochi.  Though it functioned for six months in Kochi, the team soon became non-functional owing to the alleged apathy of top official.  

According to association president K B Gopalakrishnan, the revival of the emergency response team in the city is imperative.  “The brigade will comprise a team of an assistant engineer, overseer, plumber and two workers. Sufficient funds need to be raised for the purpose,” said Secretary M J Martin.

Unauthorised connections, frequent pipe bursts and public tap misuse are the major complaints made by the public to the KWA.

There are a profusion of illegal connections in the construction industry, and it was difficult to keep a tab on them. However, if the brigade can monitor such connections, water wastage can be avoided to a large extent,” the association members said. Currently, the KWA is forced to call up contractors to plug leaks in the city.

“The contractors only render their service if there are serious issues, and hence, minor cases are mostly neglected. This costs the KWA a dear,” they added.