A solution to the acute water scarcity faced by the residents of the capital city could be in sight, with the Kerala Water Authority (KWA) commencing the trial-pumping of water using dredger from Kappukadu at the Neyyar dam reservoir to the Aruvikkara reservoir on Thursday evening.
If the trial process stabilises, the pumping is likely to be continued, a KWA official told The Hindu . The pipe-laying work for the dredger was completed in the morning.
Ration since last week
With water supply being rationed in the city since last week, residents have been going through a harrowing time, with certain areas going without pipeline supply for days on end.
The KWA had earlier suffered hiccups while moving the dredger to Kappukadu, with a huge rock presenting an obstacle at the spot where the dredger was supposed to be taken to.
This was overcome by building an alternative path around it. A large section of the canal was also cleaned for the purpose.
Without this obstacle, the pumping could have been commenced earlier, the official said.
The dredger, brought from Alappuzha, can pump around 24 million litres of water daily.
A second dredger is expected to come in the following days from Kochi.
The factory testing of the two new submersible pumps requisitioned by the KWA will be tested in Gujarat on Friday.
It is expected that the pumps will be dispatched by Saturday, and reach the city by May 2. They have an operational capacity of 50 mld (million litres per day) each.
These will be used in addition to the dredgers at the Neyyar dam.
The KWA is expecting to pump a total of 100 mld water, although there are concerns of loss through mid-transmission seepage, according to officials.
