THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Repeated pipe bursts, recurring repair bills and disruption to water supply have failed to spur action on a long-pending drinking water pipeline replacement project in the capital, with official red tape leaving a Rs 2.72-crore work in limbo for nearly five years. The latest burst at Bakery Junction has exposed the apathy of the government, with the Kerala Water Authority (KWA) continuing to spend public money repairing an ageing pipeline instead of replacing it.
The replacement project, which had received administrative sanction from KIIFB, envisages replacing the existing pipeline with 350-mm high-density polyethylene and 350 mm ductile iron pipes. The project got stalled for years because the original contractor could not complete the work up to Ayurveda College owing to financial issues. Though the KWA tried to revive the project two years ago, the work is yet to reach the tendering stage owing to objections from KIIFB.
A top KWA official told TNIE that the pipeline stretch from Bakery Jn to Ayurveda College has witnessed around 20 to 30 leak repairs, each costing the authority approximately Rs 50,000 for excavation, restoration and road concreting. The recurring failures also disrupt water supply to several areas in the capital, including the secretariat and Ayurveda College, affecting residents and other establishments.
Owing to objections from the KIIFB over provisions in the revised estimate, including expenses for traffic management, fencing around the worksite and rewatering, the KWA has landed in a fix inordinately delaying the project. “We are unable to retender the work or go ahead with the project until the financial and technical objections are resolved by KIIFB.
The contractor who initially took up the work abandoned it owing to delays and objections. These provisions objected by KIIFB are necessary to execute the work safely because the work would take place along a busy road with shops and heavy traffic. We are caught in a fix,” said the official.
The official said expenditure beyond the permitted 10% limit would require further government approval, potentially delaying the project further. The KWA estimates that completing the remaining work would take one year for completion after awarding the work.
The official said that every fresh burst adds to the public cost. The burst on Monday morning near Bakery Jn took the KWA hours to complete the work and restore the water supply by 4pm.
