Kochi reels under water scarcity

Kochi faces drinking water shortage in summer, with supply disruptions and increased consumption, posing challenges for Kerala Water Authority.

Kochi city is reeling under drinking water shortage even as the summer climate has set in. The drinking water scarcity is likely to escalate during the next two months when the mercury level goes up, fear those at the Kerala Water Authority, the State agency which manages the water supply.

Though there has not been any significant drop in the production of drinking water at present, the consumption of potable water has gone up by around 10 per cent in the city. The water consumption pattern changes during the summer months as people depend more on KWA water due to drying up of wells, according to Authority sources.

The Authority produces around 300 Million Litres a Day (MLD) from the Aluva pump house at its overloaded capacity. The water produced from the plant is being distributed to Kochi Corporation, four municipalities and eight panchayaths. There is a shortage of around 40 MLD in the supply to the city area, according to Authority officials.

The water scarcity has been reported from parts of Edappally, Kaloor, Deshabhimani, K P Vallon road, Vennala, Pachalam , Vaduthala and Cheranallur areas and the scarcity is likely to increase during the peak summer months, they said.

The disruption in the supply due to pipe bursts when the various government and private departments are allowed to carry out the road cutting and trenching works, adds to the woes of the Authority. The National Highway widening project has presented enough trouble to the Authority these months as supply pipelines have been broken in a few places during widening works.

It may take days for the supply to be resumed in some tail-end areas, which would add to the water scarcity in some cases, they said.

A spell of summer showers may improve the situation for the people as well as the Authority as it would cool the atmosphere a bit and thus reduce the consumption load. The 190 MLD water treatment plant proposed at Aluva may ease the situation significantly, they hoped.