The newly elected council of the Kochi Corporation held its first meeting on Tuesday, and one issue dominated the discussion: a severe and persistent shortage of drinking water across multiple city divisions. The crisis, stemming from a partial tank collapse and compounded by other technical failures, has left residents struggling.
Root of the Crisis: A Damaged Tank and Pump House Repairs
The primary trigger for the current water woes was the partial collapse of the Kerala Water Authority's (KWA) 1.35-crore litre capacity storage tank at Thammanam. The incident occurred in the second week of November when one of its two chambers, each holding 6.7 million litres, burst. In response, the KWA enhanced the capacity of the remaining chamber to 8.6 million litres by increasing its height, but this did not fully restore the lost storage.
Simultaneously, the situation was aggravated by repair work at the KWA's crucial pumphouse in Pazhoor, near Piravom. This facility draws water from the Muvattupuzha river to supply the Maradu water treatment plant, which has a daily capacity of 100 million litres (MLD). A technical snag in the pumping system forced authorities to reduce water generation at the Maradu plant to around 80 MLD.
Councillors Voice Constituents' Anguish
Councillors from affected areas raised urgent concerns during the council meeting. V P Chandran, the councillor from Vyttila, highlighted that several areas in and around his division have been facing a severe drinking water shortage ever since the Thammanam tank failure.
The issue was echoed by representatives from Kadavanthra, Thrikkanarvattom, and Vaduthala. Henry Austin, the Vaduthala councillor, pointed out a specific infrastructural lapse: "KWA constructed a 32,000-litre overhead water storage tank at Kaloor but is yet to lay pipelines and it is therefore lying unused," he said, underscoring how inaction on completed projects worsens the crisis.
Compounding Factors and Official Response
A KWA official explained that the water shortage was a result of multiple setbacks over the past couple of months. Apart from the tank collapse, major supply lines in the Kaloor area were damaged during Kochi Metro rail extension works, further straining the distribution network. While the repair works at the Pazhoor pumphouse have been completed and pumping has resumed, the system is still recovering.
Addressing the council, Mayor V K Minimol stated that a meeting with KWA officials would be convened to sort out the issues. On the long-term solution for Thammanam, she clarified, "We can't restore the old capacity of the storage tank at Thammanam. The government has informed that a new tank would be constructed at Thammanam." This indicates that residents may have to contend with reduced supply until the new infrastructure is ready.
The confluence of these events—the tank collapse, pump house repairs, and pipeline damages—has created a perfect storm, leaving many parts of Kochi in a precarious position regarding access to clean drinking water, with immediate relief heavily dependent on coordinated action between the corporation and the water authority.
