Full-throttle pumping of water from the Neyyar dam and the rain received over the past few days has eased the acute shortage of drinking water in the capital city.
According to Kerala Water Authority (KWA) engineers, the water level at the Peppara dam has gone up by more than a meter following heavy showers received in the dam’s catchment area. This alone would account for about three to five days of water to the city. As on Saturday, Peppara had water to service the city till the first week of June.
The rains have also raised the water level at Aruvikkara, thus allowing the KWA to operate all pumps at full throttle. Though 110 mld (million litres daily) of water is being pumped from Aruvikkara, it is estimated that 100 mld reaches Aruvikkara.
If the rains continue apace, the pumping of water from the Neyyar dam may well be stopped; but KWA engineers would prefer, for the moment, to have at their disposal millions of litres of water from the Neyyar dam.
According to the executive engineer, Thiruvananthapuram PH division, the number of calls and complaints to the KWA’s helpline has dropped drastically. This, he conceded, need not mean that all areas are getting the same quantity of water.
Massive leak
Even as the KWA scrambled to tackle the drought and the resultant shortage of water, one aspect of water distribution — plugging of leaks — has been put in the backburner.
According to KWA’s own estimates, a good 40 % of water pumped from Aruvikkara is lost to leaks in pipelines. Some leaks lie unattended for weeks together. Even as these leaks bleed thousands of litres of filtered, treated drinking water, all that the KWA can do is to wring its hands in despair.
Another issue that has been put in the backburner is the question of lowering shutters at the Peppara dam, thereby increasing its storage dramatically. Though many rounds of discussions have been held on this issue, it remains unsolved. At one point, even compensatory afforestation was promised for the land that would be submerged if and when the shutters get lowered.
It is becoming increasingly clear that the downing of shutters and the water from the Neyyar are complimentary measures that would ensure that the city’s pipeline network does not run dry for some years to come.
