KOCHI: As temperature rises ahead of the onset of summer, drinking water shortage has worsened in Poonithura with local residents going days without piped water. Residential lanes in wards 46 and 47 of Kochi corporation, which fall at the tail-end of the KWA pipeline network from the Thammanam pump house, have been grappling with water scarcity for years, all through the seasons.
Residents alleged that despite the meeting held between the district collector and KWA officials in January suggested for measures to be implemented within 15 days, the situation remains unchanged. The follow-up meeting scheduled for the first week of the month has not taken place either, they said.
“We receive water pumped from the Thammanam tank, which is located 15 km away. By the time water reaches Chambakkara, it loses 50% of the force and will not reach the southern parts of Poonithura,” said Sankaranarayanan K S, secretary of the Mukkottil Temple Road Residents’ Association, in a letter to Thrikkakara MLA Uma Thomas and Mayor V K Minimol.
In a meeting held in 2024, the KWA had suggested setting up a 190 MLD water treatment plant in the region, which has not materialised so far. Additionally, an intersection was suggested at Ponnurunni, for which an approval for Rs 20 lakh is due. Meanwhile, NHAI is yet to grant permission for the intersection at Petta junction. Residents had staged a protest earlier this month, with the situation worsening after the collapse of a section of the KWA tank in Thammanam last year.