The Kerala Water Authority (KWA) and the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) are making alternative arrangements to ensure sufficient supply of drinking water in Sabarimala during the Mandalam-Makaravilakku pilgrimage season, in the wake of the ban on PET bottles there.
Talking to The Hindu , District Collector R. Girija said the KWA would install seven reverse osmosis (RO) plants, each with a capacity to treat 5,000 litres per hour (lph) at Sabarimala and Pampa. KWA Executive Engineer V. James told The Hindu that two RO plants with a capacity to treat 1000 lph of water had already been installed, one at Pampa and the other at Sannidhanam. Two more plants would be installed soon. Mr. James said this was besides the seven giant plants planned by the KWA at Sabarimala. He said the KWA had signed an agreement with the Gujarat-based company, Hi-tech Sweet Water Technologies Private Limited, for installing the plants at an estimated cost of Rs.2.72 crore.
The company would install four plants before November 15 and the remaining three would be installed by November 30, he said.
TDB initiative
Meanwhile, TDB member Ajay Tharayil said the board has already installed five water purification plants connecting. The TDB would also install 30 more UV water purification systems (600 lph each) at at Sabarimala soon.
