Several areas in city face acute shortage of water

Thiruvananthapuram: With the onset of summer, several areas in the city are facing acute shortage of drinking water, forcing officials of the Kerala water authority (KWA) to look for plans to tackle the crisis situation.
KWA managing director has convened a meeting of officials to discuss ways to tackle the situation. The meeting, scheduled to be held on Tuesday, will discuss various alternative arrangements to reduce the impact of water shortage.
Areas such as Vellayambalam, Kanaka Nagar, VJ Lane, Vazhuthacaud and parts of Peroorkada have been witnessing water shortage for the past few days.
Recent revamp works in the 74mld water treatment plant in Aruvikkara has helped in improving the situation. “The extra pump at the 86mld plant has been shifted to the 74mld plant. Now, KWA is able to pump an additional 4-5mld water to the city,” sources said.
“Complaints pertaining to a butterfly valve and a sluice valve have resulted in water shortage in areas such as Vellayambalam, Kanaga Nagar, Kowdiar and Nathancode recently. It has been resolved now,” said KWA officials.
S Sujith, secretary of Vellayambalam residents’ association, said that they got water on Saturday after a gap of eight days. “Residents in RNP Lane, Madan Kovil Lane and shops near the road suffered from water shortage for several days,” he said. Sujith said that issues in Vellayambalam and nearby areas began after KWA stopped supplying water from Vellayambalam tank. Now, water is being supplied from PTP and Peroorkada tanks.
Sources said that more time should be allotted for releasing water from PTP Nagar tank. If there is continuous supply of water from PTP Nagar tank for 4-5 hours, there will be enough water in the affected areas. This won’t disrupt water supply in other areas. Additional 5mld water could solve the issue.
Meanwhile, water crisis is likely to become severe as KWA has to serve additional water during Attukal pongala, which falls on March 9. Sources said that enough water will be stored in advance at the Iranimuttam tank to manage the situation.
The water level at Peppara dam is around 104.5 metres, which will serve the needs of the city till June, say KWA officials.