The Kerala Water Authority (KWA) said water supply in the city had been restored to normal by noon on Monday. The supply of water was disrupted after a 1,200-mm pre-stressed concrete (PSC) transmission mainline carrying water from Aruvikkara to the Observatory Hills in the city burst near Kummi here on Sunday.
KWA Chief Engineer (South) P. Sreekumaran Nair said the repair works were completed by 8 a.m. on Monday. Trial pumping was done around 10 a.m.. Full-fledged pumping began later and supply was restored in most places by 12 noon, he said.
Senior officials of the KWA, including Managing Director Ashok Kumar Singh and Mr. Nair, were at the spot near the Kummi pump-house since Sunday. A workforce comprising 40 men was engaged in the work.
Mr. Singh told The Hindu that the Rs.50-crore project for laying a new mild steel (MS) pipeline to replace the 1200-mm PSC pipe might be completed by August. The pipe that burst on Sunday was worn out at several places
However, till the new MS pipeline is commissioned, there is no alternative but to complete repairs as fast as possible. Arrangements, including supply by tankers, mainly from the PTP Nagar reservoir, would be streamlined to remove existing bottlenecks.
One option, to avoid such disruptions caused by burst in mainlines carrying water to the city, was to connect the three reservoirs at Peroorkada, PTP Nagar and Observatory Hills. However, it is a major project and would take at least another five years to become a reality.
