Hundreds of families residing along the Pettah-Anayara Road in Thiruvananthapuram are enduring a severe drinking water crisis, with their supply completely cut off for the past five days. The disruption is a direct consequence of ongoing road widening work, which has necessitated the shifting and laying of new pipelines by the Kerala Water Authority (KWA).
Residents Struggle as Pipeline Work Stalls
With no official timeline provided for the restoration of services, the situation has become desperate. Households are now compelled to rely on purchased water or undertake long journeys to fetch minimal supplies for their basic daily needs. Residents report that while new water pipelines have been installed along the road, they have not been fully charged or integrated with the existing system, leading to repeated failures in temporary arrangements.
A KWA official, speaking anonymously, confirmed that the shortage is due to frequent bursts in the newly laid 200mm diameter pipes, which have yet to form a stable supply network. "The disruption is due to frequent breaks in new pipelines and because they have not been commissioned fully. We are trying to fix them quickly," the official stated.
Voices of Distress and Official Responses
Deepa Menon, a resident of Anayara, voiced the community's anguish. "We haven't had a drop of water for five days. We can't even manage basic household chores," she said. "We've to buy water now or depend on well water that many of us don't trust. We have repeatedly called up the authority officials, but there's little response."
This incident adds to the growing pressure on the capital's water distribution networks, which have been strained for months due to major pipeline projects. Just last month, a significant leak in the main pipeline from the Aruvikkara treatment plant caused widespread disruption in central areas, requiring emergency repairs by the KWA.
Infrastructure Project and Future Timeline
Defending the core project, an official from the Kerala Road Fund Board (KRFB) emphasized its importance. "The Pettah-Anayara-Oruvathilkotta model road is a priority infrastructure development for the city. We've coordinated with KWA for utility shifts, but delays and technical issues are inevitable in such large-scale works," the official explained, adding that they are committed to completing the project on schedule while understanding residents' concerns.
The road contract was awarded to the Uralungal Labour Contract Cooperative Society in May 2024, with an initial estimated timeline of 18 months. While the board had earlier projected a completion date of December 2025, only portions of the work are currently finished. Authorities acknowledge that several more months of work are needed before all utilities, including the water pipelines, become fully operational.
Local MLA Kadakampally Surendran assured that the water issue would be addressed on a war footing. "We've been trying to fix the problem, but pipes burst and supply was disrupted again," he told the media, highlighting the technical challenges faced in restoring a consistent water supply to the affected residents.
