Kochi: Nearly 1.5 lakh residents in West Kochi will get relief from drinking water shortage from Thursday when the Kerala Water Authority will dedicate newly-laid 700 mm ductile iron (DI) pipes from Thevara to Karuvelipaddi pump house which will result in additional supply of 15 lakh litres of water. The replacing of old concrete pipelines with new ductile iron pipes in the Tevara-Mattancherry Swift Jn, Swift Jn –Mattancherry bridge and Mattancherry bridge-Karuvelipaddi sections will also facilitate supply of additional water from the recently commissioned Maradu plant which sources water from Muvattupuzha River.
Laying pipelines along this stretch was the major bottleneck in completing the network of the Maradu plant. “The work has been completed at a cost of Rs 7.57 crore and includes laying of an additional pipeline from Swift Junction to Mattancherry bridge. We can now pump at a greater force and hence more water can be supplied. We are in the process of expanding the end networks too so as to benefit maximum families,” a senior KWA official said. However, the KWA could not take up the work in the Perumanur-Tevara section as planned earlier due to the “high cost” of road restoration work.
The pipeline network will be inaugurated by Mathew T. Thomas, minister for water resources, at a function to be held at 4 pm in Mattancherry Eraveli Junction. Several dignitaries including Kochi MLA K. J. Maxi, mayor Soumini Jain, K. V. Thomas, MP, and John Fernandes, MLA, will be present on the occasion. Other projects to be implemented soon are replacing of old pipelines in Angamaly municipality, Ayyambuzha, Manjapra, Karukutty, Mookkannoor, Keezhmadu, Avoly and Kunnathunad panchayats.
