Pipeline repaired; water supply yet to be fully restored

Kochi Corporation water supply restored after pipeline burst, with full restoration expected by Monday, despite some lingering issues.

Water supply to several divisions of the Kochi Corporation around Palarivattom is gradually being restored after marathon repair work by KWA engineers and workers throughout Saturday (December 21) night. The repair work followed the burst of a drinking water supply pipeline on Saturday afternoon near Pallippady on the arterial Thammanam-Palarivattom road.

A KWA official said on Sunday (December 22) that water pumping had resumed at a reduced capacity and would be fully restored by Monday, though some areas at the end of the supply line might still face issues.

Repair works on the pipeline were completed around 5:30 a.m. on Sunday, said George Nanattu, councillor for Division 44 of the Corporation.

Though water supply was getting back to normal, the Corporation authorities were ready to provide drinking water to households in areas near Thammanam and its neighbourhoods using tanker lorries. Tanker supplies had been provided after the water pipeline from the Thammanam pump house had burst a week ago, said Georgy Kureekode, councillor for Palarivattom.

Traffic on the Vyttila-Palarivattom route has not been restored as repair works continue at the site where the pipe burst caused the road to cave in. Vehicles, including two-wheelers, are being diverted to facilitate the speedy repair of the road and to ensure that traffic does not disrupt the restored pipeline.

Mr. Kureekode said that a small segment of the pipeline was old and needed to be replaced. He claimed that the work to replace the old pipeline had reportedly faced disputes with residents, which he pointed out as the reason for the delay in completing the repairs.