Neyyar drinking water project clouded by land row

Protests by people leads to project grinding to a halt

Work on the 120 mld Neyyar water supply project has come to a standstill with a row erupting over the ownership of a portion of the land identified for the project.

With the dispute threatening to derail the ₹60 crore initiative, the Water Resources Department has hastily stepped in. After a long delay, the department finally issued formal orders handing over six acres of Irrigation Department land in the area to the Kerala Water Authority (KWA) - the implementation agency - on Tuesday. Steps have also been launched to get its boundaries properly demarcated.

Following protests by a group of people, work on the project had ground to a halt more than a month back. But the department apparently did little to sort out the issue - until this week.

Scheduled for commissioning in March 2021, the Neyyar project promises Thiruvananthapuram city 100 million litres a day (mld) and 20 mld to the Vilappil, Vilavoorkal, Maranalloor and Malayinkeezhu panchayats. The long-term water requirements of the capital city hinge on the successful completion of this project.

Legally dismissed

According to the Irrigation Department, the land was identified for the KWA project after all external claims to it were legally dismissed. However, the protesters are still persisting with their claim. The KWA contractor - Chicago Constructions International Ltd - had commenced preliminary work three months ago, but they were forced to suspend work following the protest.

Bureaucratic delays too have amply contributed to the muddle. Although the KWA had kicked off work on the project, formal orders transferring the land to it were delayed. Moreover, the boundaries are yet to be demarcated.

Now that the orders have been issued, the KWA has requested revenue authorities to demarcate the land within two weeks.

According to Irrigation officials, KWA was offered the land after encroachments were cleared and High Court also upheld the department's claim on the land.

“The location is part of the highest point in the region, making it ideal for gravity-assisted pumping of the treated water to the city,” a KWA official said.

New pipeline

A new transmission main will be laid for carrying water from Neyyar to the KWA reservoir at PTP Nagar. This will be taken up as a separate project and is expected to cost ₹207 crore.