Thammanam pipeline burst: Water supply in Kochi restored after 15 hours
KOCHI: Nearly 15 hours after a major pipeline burst on the Palarivattom-Thammanam stretch, the Kerala Water Authority (KWA) restored supply to several parts of Kochi by Sunday morning.
The authorities, though, said water supply will be restored fully only by Monday morning.
“It was an old pipeline at Samskara Junction that burst on Saturday evening and we have rectified the issue,” said a senior KWA official.
While a project to replace old pipelines is under way, this particular pipeline cannot be replaced due to the heavy conjunction of pipes in the region, he said.
“Instead, we are planning to redirect it through a new road. The traffic through the road was not reinstated till Sunday afternoon as the damage sustained to a portion of the road was being rectified,” the official added.
The pipe rupture, which happened at 5.30pm on Saturday, resulted in severe damage to the Pipeline Road near Samskara Junction. Areas nearby experienced waterlogging for hours and drinking water supply was disrupted in many areas in the city.
“A portion of the road was carved open due to the power of the gushing water. The situation could have worsened further, but the authorities stopped pumping soon after. People in the locality too acted swiftly as they are now well aware of situations like these,” said councillor Sakeer Thammanam.
The pipe that burst was a 700mm premo feeder line between Thammanam Junction and Palarivattom, a major line that carries drinking water from the Thammanam pump house to Cheranallore. According to KWA authorities, the age of the pipeline and the pressure due to the heavy traffic on the road might have resulted in the pipe rupture. Areas including Thammanam, Palarivattom, Mamangalam, Elamakkara, Ponekkara, Cheranallore, Kaloor, and certain areas of Vennala and Edappally faced drinking water shortage on Saturday and Sunday.
“Many major pipelines in the region are very old and in a highly deplorable condition. We anticipate more such breaks and leakages in the pipelines any time, until we are finally able to implement the pipe replacement project,” the KWA official said.
This is the fourth instance of drinking water pipeline burst reported in the city so far this month. A 500-mm pipe in Kalamassery and a 1,200-mm pipe near NAD burst earlier this month. Another pipe had burst near Thammanam last week.