Kerala - Kochi   

HUDCO project: trial run likely this month-end

Renu Ramanath

KOCHI: The trial run of Housing and Urban Development Corporation (HUDCO)-assisted Water Supply Augmentation Project, which is expected to be a solution for the water shortage in city and suburbs to a great extent, is likely to be conducted by the end of May or the beginning of June.

Work on the project, over which several mass agitations had been staged, started around 12 years ago, but was lagging due to many obstacles. The pipe laying work for the project taking water to West Kochi entered the final phase with the laying of pipelines across the Sahodaran Ayyappan Road that started last week.

Laying pipeline across S.A. Road for the interconnection between the pipes along the Kaloor-Kadavanthra Road and K.P. Vallon Road was part of the last phase of the work. The work was completed on one-half of the road, according to Susan Jacob, Chief Engineer, Central Zone, Kerala Water Authority (KWA).

The work was expected to take around seven more days, said Ms. Jacob. Laying pipe on one side was completed, now the trench needed to be filled, concreted, the road levelled and closed. All these works would be completed by Sunday evening. If two days were given for curing of the filled area, the other half could be opened by Tuesday, she said.

She said District Collector A.P.M. Mohammed Hanish visited the site and agreed with the extension of the traffic regulations along the S.A. Road for one more week. The time schedule was extended as many other utility services, including telecommunication cables and an 11 kV line were passing along the way.

Also, the soil condition of the area, which was causing water logging in deep trenches, resulted in a change of plan by the KWA.

Hardly 150 meters of pipe remained to be laid along this stretch, with 30 meters at the crossing. A gap of 100 meters was left at both ends in K.P. Vallon Road and in Kaloor-Kadavanthra Road. This could be filled only after completing the crossing and setting the alignment. The work of completing some test gaps left along the K.P. Vallon Road was going on.

The next major point to be completed was the railway crossing at Konthuruthy. Pipe had to be laid along 30 meters at Konthuruthy, the approval for which was already obtained from all the concerned authorities and the work was also awarded. Order for the RCC pipes with diameter two meters needed for the crossing had been placed and the supply was awaited.

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