The Kerala Water Authority (KWA) has launched the tendering process for the Neyyar water supply project, setting the ball rolling for an initiative that will augment water supply to the capital city region by another 100 million litres a day (MLD).
The 120 MLD project will also supply five MLD each to four panchayats. The KWA has also placed a separate proposal before the Kerala Infrastructure Investment Fund Board (KIIFB) for drawing a pipeline over a distance of 24 km from Neyyar to the KWA reservoirs at Thirumala for facilitating supply.
The steel pipeline work is expected to cost approximately ₹200 crore. The KWA plans to lay 1400mm mild steel pipes for the supply line.
Last month, Water Resources Minister K. Krishnankutty had announced that the ₹60 crore Neyyar project is expected to be completed by March 2021. The project consists of a water purification plant and, as per a revised plan, floating pumps.
This project, along with the under-construction 75 MLD water treatment plant at Aruvikkara, would likely meet the burgeoning water supply requirements of the State capital, KWA superintending engineer Suresh Chandran said.
Before the Peppara dam was commissioned in the 1980s, KWA used to pump water regularly from Kappukad, Neyyar, during summer months. More recently, the Water Resources Department decided to establish permanent supply from Neyyar after the stifling 2017 summer depleted water levels at Peppara. At the time, KWA was forced to pump water from Neyyar to meet the city’s daily requirement.
The capital city requires approximately 270 million litres of water a day. The requirement is met through through three water treatment plants at Aruvikkara and a 36 MLD treatment plant at Vellayambalam. But the water demand is expected to go up in the immediate future with the commissioning of several major infrastructure projects.