The Kerala Water Authority (KWA) has undertaken a Rs 2.7 crore project for supplying purified drinking water to the pilgrims undertaking the holy trek to Sabarimala Sannidhanam from the foothills of Pampa.
According to the KWA Superintending Engineer, M.Madhu, seven modern Reverse Osmosis (RO) plants will be installed at Sabarimala for supplying drinking water to the pilgrims during the forthcoming pilgrim season that begins on November 16.
Mr. Madhu told The Hindu that the seven RO plants would supply purified water to 130 drinking water kiosks to be opened at different points along the trekking path.
He said five RO plants would be having a capacity to treat 5,000 litres of water an hour and two plants with a capacity to treat 2,000 litres an hour.
The RO plants would be connected to 130 kiosks to be set up on the Pampa-Neelimala-Sannidhanam path and along the Swami Ayyappan Road so that the devotees would never face any shortage of potable water during the ensuing pilgrim season, he said.
A 5,000-litre plant would be installed at Marakkoottom so that the water treated in it could be routed through the Swami Ayyappan Road as well as the Sabaripeedhom route.
The Rs 2.7 crore project work has been awarded to the Gujarat-based firm, Hi-tech Sweet Water Technologies Private Limited, for executing the same in a time-frame of 45 days, the KWA official said.
The KWA is planning to install the two RO plants at Pampa-Triveni, one each at Marakkoottom, Pampa Hilltop, KSRTC Bus Station, Saramkuthi, and at Pandithavalom.
Mr. Madhu says this is besides the four RO plants and drinking water kiosks installed by the KWA at Pampa, Triveni, Appachimedu and Sannidhanam.
He said the KWA has already set up a well-equipped laboratory for testing the quality of the treated water on an hourly basis.
Treatment plant
He said the KWA has also proposed a Rs. 30-crore modern drinking water treatment plant at Pampa which could cater to the drinking water needs of Sabarimala, Pampa, Nilackal and the nearby Attathode tribal settlement.
