The Hindu : Front Page : Water shortage in many parts of city

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Feb 26, 2006

Front Page

Front Page

Water shortage in many parts of city

G. Mahadevan

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A sudden surge in the use of piped water coupled with the inadequate number of transmission lines to ferry water from the Aruvikkara reservoir has led to shortage of drinking water in many parts of the city over the past few days.

The Kerala Water Authority (KWA) estimates that over the past 10 days there has been a minimum of 25 per cent increase in the quantity of piped water consumed in the city. Since the quantity of water supplied from Aruvikkara remains constant — 210 mld with 25 to 30 per cent transmission loss— this has resulted in a sudden drop in the water levels in the city's key reservoirs at Peroorkada, the Observatory Hills and at Vellayambalam.

The worst hit areas include Kesavadasapuram, the Medical College area, Rishimangalam, parts of Vazhuthacaud, Karamana, Veli and the areas around the airport. Anticipating further shortage of water in the city, the KWA has decided to suspend accepting applications for `casual connections' to construction sites. "We will give such connections to those who have already applied," said G. Sudev, KWA executive engineer, Thiruvananthapuram division.

For the past two days, water is being pumped from the Vellayambalam reservoir, which services low-lying areas, including Manacaud, Chala, Sreekanteswaram and Kuriathi, to the reservoir in the Observatory Hills to shore up the water level there. The KWA has also decided to speed up the laying of a direct distribution line from the Peroorkada reservoir to the Medical College Hospital (MCH) sump. The line is likely to be charged in about five days, Mr. Sudev said. The KWA has no plans now to introduce a restriction on house-connections in the city that has more than 1.5 lakh domestic consumers. However, authority officials point out that the burgeoning number of domestic connections, particularly connections to sumps in high-rise apartments that are `on' round the clock, calls for an immediate augmentation of the network of lines that bring water to the city from Aruvikkara.

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