Around 20 Corporation councillors have told KWA officials that the JICA scheme (formerly JBIC) should bypass their wards. The underlying fear, it is understood, is that the public may hold them responsible for roads cut up for laying the pipes.

The way things are going, the supply network planned for Thiruvananthapuram City will be shortened by 40 km.

``We’ve received representations from around 20 councillors who have objected to the scheme covering their wards. They have cited the delays in pipe-laying as the main reason,’’ a top KWA official overseeing the JICA scheme said. ``In many cases, the councillors were unaware of the implications. And in a few, the objections were withdrawn, saying they wanted the scheme after all.’’

Most of these councillors say they are merely echoing the objections of residents’ associations in their wards. There, however, have been cases of residents’ associations pleading ignorance about their councillor’s intentions. They have submitted counter-representations demanding that they should not be left out, KWA officials said.

The councillors, and the political parties they represent, fear that roads cut wide open and staying that way for weeks will draw unwanted public wrath, resulting in loss of face. But criticising the councillors alone as myopic would be stretching things a bit, since the JICA (popularly JBIC) scheme translates as mutilated city roads in the public psyche.

But in the long run, KWA officials predict, the results can prove fatal.

The wards will be denied unobstructed water supply as the years go by. The JICA scheme is pretty far-sighted - it is supposed to meet the projected demand for drinking water in Thiruvananthapuram and three adjoining panchayats up to 2036.

``We can’t force anybody. But existing pipes in these places are old and undersized and will prove inadequate. For example, you have 63 mm pipes where 110 mm would be needed in future,’’ a senior KWA official said.

Pipelines are to be laid for 410 km under the JICA scheme for Thiruvananthapuram City and the panchayats of Sreekariyam, Vattiyoorkkavu and Kudappanakkunnu. By careful re-routing, the length has been reduced by eight km.

The demand for drinking water is expected to go up to 294 million litres a day (MLD) by 2021, and up to 331 MLD by 2036. The present production is 220 MLD.

The commissioning of the JICA scheme will see production go up to 294, still 37 MLD short of the anticipated demand in 2036.

``Residents’ associations are not against the JICA scheme as it will bring water to the city,’’ C. Rajagopalan Nair, general secretary of the Federation of Residents Association Thiruvananthapuram (FRAT) said. ``But our request is that dug-up roads should not be left that way. We had met the KWA and JICA officials on the matter last months.’’

``It is important that no ward is left out of the scheme,’’ said G.R. Anil, health and education standing committee chairman.

``The councillors are concerned about possible delays in road restoration work.’’

KWA officials have now asked Mayor C. Jayan Babu to take up the matter with the councillors.

Recently, KWA officials supervising the JICA scheme had presented a stretch-by-stretch schedule to Water Resources Minister N.K. Premachandran on pipe-laying and road restoration works. But it remains to be seen whether the deadlines can be met.