KWA officials along with workers trying to repair the pipeline on the busy Palarivattom-Thammanam Road that burst on Tuesday | A Sanesh
KOCHI: At a time when the Kerala Water Authority (KWA) is struggling to resolve the drinking water crisis that has been haunting Western Kochi residents for the past month, a 40-year-old 700-mm pipeline burst at Thammanam-Palarivattom road on Tuesday.
KOCHI: As per the KWA report, nearly two lakh people living in 20 divisions of the Kochi corporation will be hit by the non-supply of water from the Aluva pump house for another three days. The pipeline burst not only created traffic snarls and flood-like situations in the area but also created craters on the road.
“It was around 9.30 in the morning; I started noticing water gushing adjacent to the drainage. Though I thought it was a small leak, it turned out to be a major one. Craters appeared on the road all of a sudden. Within a few minutes, water started entering the nearby shops. The area was almost flooded for nearly an hour. Following this, I informed the KWA officials,” said Anwar, who works in a private firm near Puthiya Road, where the pipe burst.
Residents living in the divisions, which include Puthukkalavattam, Ponekkara, Kunnumpuram, Edappally, Dhevankulangara, Karukappilli, Mamangalam, Karanakkodam, Kaloor South, Kaloor North, Elamakkara South, Edappally Palarivattom, Thammanam, Chakkaraparambu, Chalikkavattom, Sowmya Nagar in Vennala, Alinchudu, and Padivattom, are going to face the drinking water shortage for another three days.
“We received information about the pipe burst around 10am. We immediately stopped the supply of water from the Aluva pump house and locked the valve at Devankulangara. When we arrived, thousands of litres of water had gushed onto the road. Since the pipe is lying around 7 feet in the ground, we had to dig out the road to inspect the actual size of the damage. Since it’s a 700-mm pipe, it may take at least two days to plug the leakage. The damaged part will be removed, and a new pipe will be used to join it,” Shanu Paul, AE, KWA, Kaloor division, told TNIE.
Officials found a nearly two-meter-long crack in the pipe.
‘Alternative arrangements will be made'
District Collector Renu Raj told TNIE that efforts are on to restore the water supply in 20 divisions by Wednesday itself. “As per the report from KWA, the restoration of the damaged pipe can be completed by Wednesday. We hope the water supply can be resumed on the same day,” the collector said. She also assured that water supply through tanker lorries would be ensured if there is a shortage of water.
“These are the areas where the corporation regularly supplies water using tanker lorries. If we find any shortage in the coming days, arrangements will be made to ensure sufficient water supply.
Ensure proper water supply: HC
The Kerala High Court on Tuesday observed that there should be a mechanism in place to ensure proper drinking water supply in the city. The observation came on a petition of Nettor natives seeking a directive to the secretary of Maradu municipality to take necessary measures to provide adequate drinking water supply to the residents. The non-availability of drinking water is a concerning matter and it should be seriously considered by the district collector, it noted.
