Kochi’s water woes could not find a major solution in the State Budget, except for the support extended to two drinking water projects in Angamaly and Karumallur panchayat.
The Budget has earmarked ₹116 crore for the extension of the Angamaly drinking water supply project while the fresh water distribution project in Karumallur panchayat will get ₹25 crore. These two projects are among the 41 schemes that will receive a total support of ₹1,696 crore utilising the funds under the Kerala Infrastructure Investment Fund Board (KIIFB).
Officials of the Kerala Water Authority said that the proposed Angamaly drinking water supply project envisaged setting up a 20 million litres per day (mld) plant at Angamaly. It will come up on a piece of land owned by the authority. The project is expected to meet the drinking water needs of people in Angamaly and nearby panchayats that include Kanjoor, Kalady and Thuravur.
The move to launch a new project came after an earlier initiative to set up a 5.6 mld plant at Angamaly could not take off as planned. The project also got delayed owing to the limited availability of raw water. Officials said that the project could be made operational in the next two years if they got the funds earmarked under the KIIFB. The proposed 20 mld plant at Angamaly could also benefit more panchayats located near the municipality.
The fresh water distribution project at Karumallur is expected to meet the increasing demand for drinking water. The project was initiated based on studies made by the KWA that the water demand had gone up considerably in places like Aluva and nearby local bodies.
