KOCHI: With a current distribution shortfall of 50 to 60 million litres per day, Kochi is staring at a drinking water crisis, especially if the heatwave in the state worsens in the coming months as the northeast monsoon eases.
In the absence of new projects, the water shortage is expected to be severe, particularly in the interiors.
The paucity has badly affected residents in the northern reaches of the city, especially the four divisions from Kacheripady to Vaduthala. Kadamakkudy, Cheranallur and Chellanam have also reported severe deficits over the past several weeks. Though disruptions were also reported in areas such as Palarivattom, those were sorted without much delay.
Following supply interruptions, schools in Ayyapankavu division even urged students to carry extra bottles of water for washing hands. Most of the residents in the region now depend on tanker services for drinking water. Operators charge a minimum of Rs 900 per tanker.
“This is not an unforseen crisis. Authorities should have seen it coming when one of the two chambers of the storage tank in Thammanam collapsed. With no alternatives in place, things have been difficult for us, especially those living in independent houses,” said Philomina Thomson, president of the north zone of the Ernakulam District Resident Associations’ Apex Council. While residents of apartment complexes manage water scarcity by pooling funds, individual house owners have to fend for themselves, she said.
“Efforts are on to carry out maintenance of pipes, wherever issues have been reported,” an executive engineer with the Kerala Water Authority (KWA) said. “The shortage is most felt at the tail-end regions. This cannot be fully resolved unless more water is carried from Aluva. The situation in these areas has been confounded by the rise in temperatures.”
Authority officials say the situation calls for the redistribution of water, which will have to wait for the survey initiated by private utility company Suez. Redistribution can be planned after consolidating data on usage, wastage, etc., officials said.
On Tuesday, MLA T J Vinod raised Kochi’s drinking water problem in the assembly. Responding to the matter, Water Resources Minister Mons Joseph promised to immediately convene a meeting of officials to resolve the crisis. “Action will be taken against officials who fail to attend to public complaints,” the minister said in the house.
“The proposed 6.5-lakh-litre overhead tank in Chittoor must be implemented for a temporary relief to the crisis. The city will also require an additional 1.5 lakh litres of storage space to boost the pumping of water to the fag-end of the supply chain,” Vinod said.
The state government has sanctioned `523 crore for setting up the 190 MLD water purification plant in Aluva to enhance water supply to the city. However, after completing tender procedures, it will take at least six months for the project to be commissioned.
Fluid Situation
As part of the Kochi Urban Water Services Improvement Project, KWA entered into an agreement with Suez Projects for maintenance and asset mapping of water supply
200 to 210 MLD | Total daily water consumption in city
50 to 60 MLD | Current daily shortage
1.5L | Approximate number of water connections in city
