Kochi Water Crisis: KWA Plans New Pump at Aluva Plant to Boost Supply
In a significant move to address the acute water shortage plaguing Kochi, the Kerala Water Authority (KWA) is planning to procure and install a new pump set at the Aluva water treatment plant. This initiative aims to provide temporary relief to city residents struggling with water scarcity by enhancing the plant's daily water generation capacity.
Boosting Capacity to Combat Shortages
The installation of the new pump set is expected to increase the Aluva plant's production capacity from the current 335 million litres per day (MLD) to 345 MLD. The additional 10 MLD generated will be specifically allocated to Kochi city, where several areas are facing severe drinking water shortages. This enhancement comes as a critical intervention during the summer months when water demand typically peaks.
Tender Challenges and Government Approval
KWA has already invited tenders for procuring the new pump set, but the process has encountered financial hurdles. Even the lowest bidder quoted rates substantially above the estimated tender amount. Consequently, KWA now requires special permission from the state government to award the tender to this bidder despite the higher cost.
Water Resources Minister Roshy Augustine, who convened a meeting with KWA officials following a request by MLA T J Vinod to address the city's water crisis, has indicated that the government will approve the increased estimate. "It is expected that govt will issue orders for the same soon," confirmed a KWA official, suggesting that bureaucratic clearance is imminent.
Root Causes of the Current Crisis
The water shortage in Kochi has been exacerbated by multiple factors beyond the usual summer scarcity. A critical incident occurred in November last year when one chamber of the Thammanam water storage tank partially collapsed. This tank originally had two chambers with a combined storage capacity of 1.35 crore litres. Following the collapse, the capacity was reduced to just 85 lakh litres, severely impacting water distribution.
As a result, KWA had to decrease the timing of pumping from storage tanks to various city areas, directly aggravating the water shortage. Kochi Mayor V K Minimol explained that KWA attempted an alternative solution by storing water in an already constructed tank at Kaloor and boosting pressure from there, but this experiment failed and was subsequently abandoned.
Immediate and Long-Term Solutions
Mayor Minimol emphasized that enhancing pumping from the Aluva water treatment plant currently represents the only immediate solution to Kochi's water woes. However, she also highlighted the need for permanent infrastructure improvements, stating that "the only lasting solution is setting up a 190 MLD water treatment plant at Aluva and govt will expedite steps for the same."
Regarding the damaged Thammanam tank, structural engineers from Cochin University of Science and Technology (Cusat) and the Public Works Department (PWD) have conducted inspections. In collaboration with KWA, they will implement measures to plug leaks in the existing chamber and reinforce the walls of the collapsed chamber. Additional strengthening measures for the entire tank structure are also planned to prevent future incidents.
Technical Details of the Tank Damage
The Thammanam tank featured two separate chambers, with sidewalls of one chamber completely collapsing. While KWA managed to repair the walls bordering the chambers and retained the functional chamber, the collapsed chamber could not be restored. This structural failure has created ongoing challenges for water storage and distribution throughout Kochi.
As KWA moves forward with both immediate pump installation and long-term plant development, Kochi residents await relief from the persistent water shortages that have disrupted daily life across the city.
