THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Engineers of Kerala Water Authority have been directed to spot supervise the operation of valves of major pipe distribution lines in the city to check frequent pipe bursts in the city. The operations were earlier executed according to the whims of contractors.
The Jayakumar panel which was constituted in 2013 to study the multiple pipe bursts in the city, in its report had asked KWA to keep vigil against the whimsical approach taken by contractors towards maintenance and operational works under the KWA. “The contractor in charge has become an authority unto himself with a workforce at his disposal, knowledge of piping systems and the authority to manipulate valves,’’ said the panel in its report.
According to the panel’s findings, one of the major reasons for the bursts of the principal pipeline of the water distribution system was ‘water hammer’ phenomena caused due to the uncoordinated operation of valves.
Currently, the operation of valves of size 400 mm and above has to be directly monitored by the Assistant Engineers of KWA and each time it has to be informed to the Assistant Executive Engineer or Executive Engineer prior to the operation.
The valves of sizes below 400 mm have to operated in the presence of overseer after informing the Assistant or Executive Engineer concerned. Similarly, KWA enforced the maintenance of valve operation log books in all the sections, which includes the details of size, type, location of valves and custodians of valves as per the ‘Action Taken Report’. This has been in response to the proposals of Jayakumar panel report.
“The measures introduced would greatly assist in breaking the unholy nexus between the entrusted contractors and staff of KWA. We have introduced strict enforcement to bring transparency in the working systems and tendering process through e-tendering process,” said KWA Managing Director Ashok Kumar Singh.
Moreover, KWA in line with the report proposals, has created a pool of authorised workers in the service of assistant engineers in all divisions of the district, and to press them into service in case of emergency. This is hoped to provide relief to KWA consumers as it would avoid delay in case of attending to emergency needs.
Singh added that KWA presently has empanelled contractors who will take over major works if it is detected that the annual running contracts are not finished in previously stipulated period of time.