Amid the uncertainty over when the acute drinking water crisis in Maradu and West Kochi will end, Minister for Water Resources Roshy Augustine and Minister for Industries P. Rajeeve convened a meeting here on Saturday to discuss a way out.
Officials of the Kerala Water Authority (KWA) said it might take up to the first week of March to fully restore water supply in the affected areas as repairing the two damaged 850-HP pumps was a laborious task. The Water Resources Minister said funds would be allotted to the KWA to enable supply of water in tanker lorries with the help of Ernakulam Regional Transport Office. Two KWA executive engineers and an assistant engineer have been tasked with supervising it.
The Minister further said that steps would be taken to speed up completion of the 190-mld (million litres per day) water treatment plant at Aluva. It was also decided to procure a stand-by pump to be activated in case the other pumps at the Maradu plant broke down, official sources said.
A team led by Maradu municipal chairman Antony Asamparambil, who led protesters who laid siege to the office of the KWA Chief Engineer in the city a week ago, submitted a memorandum to the Minister demanding speedy measures to make drinking water available in areas severely hit by the crisis. They apprised him of how more water could be treated if a pipeline was laid beneath the backwaters, rather than trench roads that led to the treatment plant.
