The residents of West Kochi, who are coping with severe shortage of water, have huge expectations about the newly inaugurated water treatment plant at Maradu that was built under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission.
The plant was inaugurated last week and the residents have to wait for another week as the plant is on a trial run.
Senior officials of the Kerala Water Authority said that all the newly laid pipes have to be cleaned and the silt has to be removed. The pipes have to be cleaned with chlorinated water.
Even after that, when connected to the existing pipelines, a lot of muddied water may enter the supply line. Over the years, the water supplied through the existing pipes would have deposited some silt, said a senior official.
“The date on which water will be pumped will be notified so that people can close their water tanks or use the water for purposes other than drinking,” said a KWA official.
Thevara would be the first place to get more water. Thoppumpady, Fort Kochi, Mattanchery and Edakochi, which get a combined quantity of about 30-35 million litres a day (mld) against the demand of 60-65 mld, is most likely to get the full quota once the plant completes the trial run.
