Kollam: The people in Kollam have been getting muddy water supplied through the KWA distribution network for the last few weeks, pointing to the apathy of authorities in giving clean water to the consumers.
“Water coming through the tap is mostly muddy and yellow in colour,” said S. Satheesh, a member of Sreekrishna Nagar residents association at Ashramam.
The KWA authorities denied any chance of water contamination at its source. “The change of colour is mainly due to the ageing of the cast iron pipes. Regular cleaning is carried out in all the six water tanks in Kollam,” KWA Assistant Executive Engineer S. Santhosh Kumar told DC.
The water pumped to the storage tanks is chlorinated to prevent contamination. Alum is also added for sedimentation of minute particles in the water.
There is also a valve mechanism in the main pipelines at the water sources to drain out dirt during the first few minutes of pumping and after maintenance.
“We have around 15 valves in the network carrying water from the source and the tanks,” Santhosh Kumar added.
Sasthamkotta lake is a major source of water for KWA tanks. The consumers also include ICUs of hospitals and kindergartens.
