Recurring pipeline bursts leading to drinking water shortage in Thiruvananthapuram

Supply by Kerala Water Authority has been disrupted at many places since past few days.

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THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: City dwellers in Thiruvananthapuram are a harried lot as drinking water supply by the Kerala Water Authority has been disrupted at several places across the city since the last few days. To add to their woes, the KWA did not warn the residents about the disruption in many areas in advance. The city has been grappling with drinking water scarcity over the past few weeks amid the scorching summer heat.

Recurring pipeline bursts have led to the current crisis. On March 12, the KWA initiated a major shutdown due to emergency repair works following water leakage on the main pipeline from Aruvikkara dam to Muttada junction. The work on the 900mm pipeline was finished immediately. However, in another 20 days, the pipeline on the same stretch burst yet again, pushing the consumers into great difficulty.

“There is a lack of accountability on the part of the KWA officials. If transportation was affected earlier due to smart city project work, drinking water has become a rare commodity for us now, especially in this excruciating summer season,” said a KWA consumer.

Meanwhile, a senior KWA engineer told TNIE that 50% of the maintenance work has been completed at Muttada.

“We are hoping to complete the maintenance work by Tuesday morning. But the higher altitude areas will start getting drinking water supply only by Wednesday morning,” said a senior KWA engineer. Pipeline bursts owing to the smart city project work are also contributing to the water woes in the city. Last week, the Thiruvananthapuram city traffic north police subdivision warned of pipeline bursts from March 27 to April 1 due to smart city road works on the PWD road between Vellayambalam Althara junction and Sree Moolam Club junction.

“It’s true that pipelines have gone dry in several stretches in Thiruvananthapuram. There have been leakages in the pipeline at several points as the road on the Vellayambalam Althara junction-Sree Moolam Club junction stretch has been completely dug up,” said another KWA official.

The officer said that the KWA could not inform consumers in advance about the drinking water supply disruption.With the rapidly increasing mercury levels, more drinking water pipelines are expected to run dry in the district.