Aging water tank bursts in Kerala's Kochi, over 20 houses and vehicles damaged

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A massive Kerala Water Authority (KWA) drinking water tank with a capacity of 1.35 crore litres burst in Kochi’s Thammanam area early on Monday, November 10, flooding residential streets, damaging vehicles, and destroying parts of at least 20 houses. 

The incident occurred around 2 am when the wall of one of the two chambers of the decades-old ground-level reservoir ruptured, unleashing a torrent of water that rushed through nearby neighbourhoods. The force of the water damaged compound walls, household furniture, and vehicles, including autorickshaws and two-wheelers, before finally subsiding after more than two hours.

Though no casualties were reported, residents said the flooding caught them off guard as they were asleep when the tank burst.

Residents alleged that the tank had developed leaks over time and that complaints to authorities went unaddressed. Preliminary assessments by KWA engineers suggest that structural weakening due to age was the likely cause of the rupture. One chamber of the reservoir remains intact, and officials are exploring options for a temporary restoration of supply.

The 50-year-old tank, located near Kuthappady Temple, serves as a crucial storage point for water pumped from the Periyar river before being distributed to key areas of Kochi city, including Vyttila, Petta, and Cheranallur. Officials have warned that water supply to large parts of the city and nearby municipalities such as Thrippunithura may be disrupted in the coming days as repair works are being initiated.

The flooding also affected the Kochi Corporation Primary Family Health Centre in Thammanam, damaging medicine stocks, though key medical equipment and computers escaped harm.

Authorities have begun evaluating property damage and losses in the affected neighbourhoods. Visuals from the scene showed residents using buckets to bail out water and clear mud from their homes as cleanup operations continued through the morning.