A 10 million litres a day (mld) drinking water treatment plant (WTP), which will serve nearly two lakh people in five grama panchayats spread across two Assembly constituencies, was commissioned on Wednesday, after a wait of nearly 20 years.
The treatment plant forms the axis for two major drinking water supply projects, one launched in 1991 and the other, in 1998.
The projects — the Kallara-Pangode Accelerated Rural Water Supply Scheme (ARWSS) in the Vamanapuram Assembly Constituency, and the Panavoor-Pullampara-Vembayam ARWSS in the Nedumangadu Assembly Constituency — were also inaugurated on the day. Both will be served by the 10-mld plant at Thengumkode in Kallara grama panchayat and a pump-house at Aruvippuram, with water drawn from the Vamanapuram river.
Water Resources Minister P.J. Joseph inaugurated the schemes.
The Kallara-Pangode scheme will ensure piped water supply to 74,500 people while the Panavoor-Pullampara-Vembayam ARWSS will benefit 92,750 people.
The Kallara-Pangode scheme, launched in 1998, will see water from the Vamanapuram river drawn by a pump-house at Aruvippuram of Pullampara grama panchayat and pumped to the treatment plant at Thengumkode.
New distribution linesTreated water from the plant will reach a 14 lakh-litre overhead tank at Kodithookikunnu, from where it will be distributed through existing pipelines in Kallara and Pangode grama panchayats.
A 17-km new distribution network was laid here, apart from installing 35 public taps, while work on laying another 37-km network for areas that currently do not have a distribution system is in progress.
Sanction for phase IIThe second phase of this scheme, which comprises a Rs.8 crore-project to install pipelines for another 125km in the two grama panchayats, had also been sanctioned by the government, the Minister said on the occasion.
The Panavoor-Pullampara-Vembayam ARWSS, envisaged in 1991, was launched in 1998 under the Centre’s ARWSS. However, work came to a standstill when funds from the Centre dried up. Work was revived a few years ago and a few final touches, including work on a 35km-distribution network in Vembayam grama panchayat, were progressing, the KWA officials said, adding that Rs.15 crore had been spent on this project so far.
Quality of pipesMr. Joseph, inaugurating the projects at functions organised at the Kanyakulangara Junction and on the WTP premises at Thengumkode, also said the government had decided to insist on the use of quality pipes instead of concrete or asbestos pipes for laying distribution networks, so as to do away with the recurring problem of pipe-bursts.
Koliyakode Krishnan Nair, MLA, presided over the function at Thengumkode, while Palode Ravi, MLA, presided over the function at Kanyakulangara Junction.
Ashok Kumar Singh, Managing Director, Kerala Water Authority (KWA), T. Subran, Technical Member, KWA, presidents of the five panchayats and other public representatives and officials of the KWA were present.
