The Kerala Water Authority (KWA) is now taking measures to combat water scarcity in Thiruvananthapuram caused by soaring temperatures witnessed in the state this summer. In addition to the 270 million litres of water pumped into Thiruvananthapuram every day, the KWA has now decided to pump in an additional 5 million litres of water per day into the city.
The water will be pumped in from the Aruvikkara reservoir in Thiruvananthapuram and an additional pump has been fixed to carry the 5 mld water. The Kerala water Authority will also lay pipelines connecting the treatment plant to the reservoir and pumping will begin on Friday, according to reports.
Thiruvananthapuram has been facing a water crisis ever since the onset of summer with the elevated parts of the city running out of water. The water levels in the Peppara dam which supplies water to the city have also reduced, according to reports.
Even Cliff House, the official residence of the chief minister, is facing water scarcity, as per reports.
Water authorities have been supplying 60-70 loads of water to different areas affected by water scarcity in tankers of capacities ranging from 10,000 to 50,000 litres. Kesavadasapuram, Sasthamangalam and Kowdiar are some of the other places affected by water scarcity in the city. The KWA authorities have also bifurcated the water connections for high level and low level areas in the city, according to reports.
Apart from pumping in additional supply of water, the KWA will also modernise the Aruvikkara plant where old pipes will be replaced with new ones for better efficiency. The KWA has also set up a booster station in Aruvikkara to improve water availability in the 36 mld treatment plant at Vellayambalam. A pump has also been fixed to carry the water to Vellayambalam.