Bureaucratic hurdles stall water supply plant project.

The 180 million-litres-a-day (mld) water supply plant project, for which Rs.358 crore was sanctioned in last year’s State budget for its first phase, is being delayed, thanks to bureaucratic hurdles.

Land acquisition at Kalamassery remains an issue, though it is a case of transferring an asset from one government agency to another.

Though it was decided to utilise Kinfra land to build the 135-mld plant in the first phase, the delay in the transfer of land has stood in the way of the project execution. For the record, the project has already received administrative sanction.

According to senior Kerala Water Authority (KWA) officials, the project involves construction of the plant and the main raw pipeline from Aluva. Only supportive distribution lines need to be laid for the plant, as it is possible to supply water through the existing mainlines.

Many parts of the city as well as suburban areas have always grappled with water scarcity compared to areas close to the starting point of the mainline network.

Incidentally, KWA officials and the anti-theft squad had come across several establishments and individuals pump water into their underground sumps by attaching motors to the distribution line. Such issues will be a thing of the past if water is available round the clock. “The project is also among the basic facilities envisaged under the Smart City project,” said an official.

While the KWA can now breathe easy, thanks to the government’s waiver of over Rs.1,000-crore debt, the much-needed 24/7 piped water supply in the city and suburban areas will be possible only with the commissioning of the new plant.

THE HINDU