4 months ago
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Drinking h2o shortage, which is causing terrible hardship for Kochi residents, is besides punching a spread successful the already precarious finances of the metropolis Corporation, which has been forced to deploy tanker lorries to proviso h2o to affected areas.
According to norms, the Corporation is not permitted to walk much than ₹10 lakh annually nether this head, but it exceeded the bounds by ₹2 lakh during the 2025 calendar year. The proviso shortage pursuing the illness of 1 of the 2 h2o retention chambers astatine the Kerala Water Authority’s (KWA) Thammanam pump location successful November, 2025 has driven the Corporation’s spending connected h2o tankers steadily upward.
'Waive h2o charges
“The Corporation tin neither spend this nor is it a sustainable solution. In summation to hiring tankers, we are compelled to acquisition h2o from the KWA for distribution. Since the KWA is the designated bureau liable for h2o supply, it should astatine slightest supply h2o escaped of outgo for organisation done tankers,” said Mayor V.K. Minimol.
The Kochi Corporation has taken up the substance with Water Resources Minister Roshy Augustine astatine a caller meeting. A elder KWA official, erstwhile contacted, clarified that nether the existent statement h2o supplied done tankers was chargeable and the bureau had nary scope to change this policy.
Meeting successful capital
Mr. Augustine has convened a gathering successful Thiruvananthapuram connected January 28 to sermon Kochi’s drinking h2o crisis, pursuing consultations with Ernakulam MLA T.J. Vinod and the Mayor.
A imperishable solution to the shortage lies successful commissioning the projected 190 Million Litres per Day (MLD) h2o attraction works astatine Aluva, which is presently successful the tender stage.
The h2o situation has been further aggravated by breakdowns astatine KWA’s Pazhoor pump location since December, 2025. “There person been shutdowns and KSEB maintenance-related breakdowns astatine the pump location since December 25 starring to proviso disruptions. This has added to the shortfall successful Kochi, which is already facing a shortage of 60 MLD. Water from Pazhoor is pumped to the Maradu plant, from wherever astir 78.5 MLD is supplied wrong Kochi Corporation limits,” said the KWA official.
