THIRUVANANTHAPURAM : Thiruvananthapuram city is notorious when it comes to Kerala Water Authority's pipeline bursts. Every day 10% - 20% water loss is happening in the capital city alone due to various pipeline bursts when 320 million litres/day is generated.
This water loss is happening due to several decades-old primo water pipes which should be abandoned at any cost or else recurrent pipe bursts would keep on happening which would only affect the already financially strapped Kerala Water Authority. When most of the roads in the capital city have been dug up under 'smart city' now, KWA's existing pipelines are not being changed though.
Pipeline burst at Pottakuzhy junction en route to Thiruvananthapuram Medical College has become a headache for KWA officials for the past several years. The department officials have actually lost track of the number of times the 400-mm distribution line at Pottakuzhy had flooded the busy road. They blame the pipe bursts for the obsolete primo pipe there which should give way to ductile iron pipe, the modified version of cast iron pipe. A senior engineer of KWA told TNIE that the primo pipe was laid at Pottakuzhy during the 1970s.
"With the volume of traffic increasing day by day there, chances of pipeline bursts occurring there frequently are on the rise. Even those pipelines which were laid in the capital city during 1999 are in bad shape. We are unable to replace cement pipes and primo pipes due to shortage of funds. There is 10% - 20% loss of water per day when the capital city requires 320 million litres of water/day", said a senior engineer.
It's learned that 10% - 20% loss of water per day due to leakage is only the average statistics as there are officials who claim that it is 40% leakage loss. This is why the KWA is coming up with Asian Development Bank's two drinking water distribution projects worth Rs 2,511 crore in Ernakulam and Thiruvananthapuram to address the leakage losses. A senior KWA official told TNIE that Kerala Infrastructure Investment Fund Board has also sanctioned 10 projects which are for replacement of old and damaged pipeline projects worth Rs 382.64 crore.
"But it would have been good if the ongoing works on the smart city road project had included the replacement of the primo pipe. It would have helped save the exchequer's money and hardships faced by the people and motorists alike. The KWA is also experiencing huge losses due to pipe bursts every day", said a senior KWA official.
Water usage stats
10% - 20% water loss happening in T'Puram city
City requires 320 million litres of water per day
A person requires 135 litres of water per day
Source: Kerala Water Authority