Kochi Grapples with Escalating Water Shortage as Summer Intensifies
As summer reaches its peak, the city of Kochi is confronting a severe and worsening water shortage across multiple regions. The Kochi corporation is struggling to arrange sufficient truckloads of drinking water for areas where the Kerala Water Authority's (KWA) pipeline network fails to deliver adequate supply.
Corporation Appeals to District Collector for Emergency Intervention
The corporation authorities have formally approached District Collector G Priyanka, urging immediate measures to ensure drinking water supply through tanker trucks. Mayor V K Minimol highlighted the critical situation, stating that government regulations currently limit water supply through tanker trucks to a maximum of Rs 10 lakh per month.
"Given the increasing water shortage due to summer, we have to supply more water through tanker trucks," Minimol explained. "If the cost exceeds Rs 10 lakh, auditors will raise objections, creating administrative problems. At the same time, we are receiving urgent calls from councillors and residents demanding more drinking water through tank trucks."
The mayor emphasized that the corporation has requested the district collector to utilize provisions under the Disaster Management Act to address this emergency situation and facilitate additional water supply beyond the current financial constraints.
Pipeline Repair Delays Exacerbate Water Crisis
Compounding the water shortage is the significant delay in completing essential repair works. In Palluruthy, residents have been demanding that KWA take urgent action to repair a pipeline that burst several days ago. Mayor Minimol noted that repair timelines have extended considerably compared to previous years.
"Earlier, KWA conducted repairs directly. Now, Suez, a private firm awarded the maintenance and operations of KWA's water supply system under the ADB project, requires more time to complete its procedures," Minimol stated, highlighting how this bureaucratic shift has slowed critical infrastructure repairs.
Long-Term Water Infrastructure Projects Stalled
Simultaneously, KWA appears to lack comprehensive plans to mitigate the city's water shortage crisis. A KWA official revealed that no major projects to improve water generation have been implemented in Ernakulam over the past decade.
The proposal for constructing a 190 million litre per day (MLD) facility at Aluva was included as part of the ADB project, but despite submitting a detailed proposal to the government, the state cabinet has yet to approve it.
While the government continues to delay the 190 MLD project, KWA is reviving plans for a 30 MLD water treatment plant that would source water from Kadambrayar near Kakkanad. However, an official associated with the project expressed concerns about its viability.
"We previously submitted a report indicating that the Kadambrayar project is not viable. The river is highly polluted, and its yield is very low due to a limited catchment area," the official explained. "Now, KWA higher-ups from Thiruvananthapuram have requested fresh reports on constructing the plant, seeking to revive the plan despite adequate fresh water availability in Periyar and Muvattupuzha rivers."
Immediate Relief Measures Remain Elusive
The combination of pipeline failures, bureaucratic delays in repairs, stalled long-term projects, and questionable revival plans has created a perfect storm for Kochi's water infrastructure. With summer temperatures continuing to rise and water demand increasing, residents face growing uncertainty about reliable drinking water access.
The corporation's appeal to the district collector represents a critical attempt to bridge the gap between regulatory constraints and urgent public need, but whether emergency measures under the Disaster Management Act will provide sufficient relief remains to be seen as the water crisis deepens across Kochi.
