Minister to review water supply in city

KWA’s summer supply readiness to be checked

Summertime water supply arrangements for the capital city will go under the scanner on Monday.

Water Resources Minister K. Krishnankutty is set to tour the Kerala Water Authority’s (KWA) operational and under-construction water supply schemes at Aruvikkara and Neyyar ahead of the 2019 summer.

The Minister will visit Kappukad, Neyyar Dam, from where the Kerala Water Authority had arranged alternate supply to the city during the 2016-17 drought when water levels in Aruvikkara dipped alarmingly.

While the KWA is planning to have a permanent 100-mld (million litres a day) plant in future, it will be ready—at the earliest—only by 2020 summer. KWA, in fact, had announced the project in the wake of the drought. Reportedly, disputes had delayed the transfer of the required land to the KWA.

The Minister will also review the progress of work on the new 75-mld water treatment plant at Aruvikkara. Meant to augment existing city water supply facilities in Aruvikkara, the project was in the construction stage, KWA officials said. Mr Krishnankutty will also inspect the operational 74-mld plant at Aruvikkara.

During his Aruvikkara visit, the Water Resources Minister will also stop at the KWA’s packaged drinking water plant. Although the plant infrastructure has been ready for some time now, commercial production production is yet to begin.

A trial run was conducted at the plant in February this year, but production can be started only after obtaining the necessary approvals from the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) and the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), according to the Water Resources Department.

An inspection of the water kiosks in the districts will also be launched soon. The kiosks had been installed to ensure water supply in vulnerable locations during the summer season. The Kerala State Disaster Management Authority (KSDMA) had written to all district collectors in this regard.