With summer fast approaching, Kochi is likely to witness severe water
crisis this year too. Though the Kochi Corporation has plans to
commission the Maradu Water Treatment Plant project this year, the civic
body is not sure of completing the project before March.
The land
acquisition on three villages in the Piravom area is yet to be
completed. As per the `201-crore project implemented under the
Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM), water will be
drawn from Pazhoorkkadavu at Muvattupuzha river and brought to the
treatment plant at Maradu which will have a capacity to treat 100
million litres of water.
The recycled water from the plant is
expected to solve the potable water crisis at Kochi and neighbouring
municipalities, including Maradu. The water will be supplied mainly to
the West Kochi region, which is reeling under acute water shortage,
including Chellanam, Edakochi, Fort Kochi, Naval Base, Thevara and Port
areas.
“The construction of the water treatment plant is almost
completed. But pipe laying at the National Highway side and the
acquisition of plots at three villages are yet to be completed. This is
expected to delay the commissioning of the Plant further,” said a top
Corporation official.
The projectlaunched in 2007, was on a
standstill for nearly one-and-a-half year following the opposition
raised by local bodies in Piravom against cutting the
Nadakkavu-Koothattukulam Road for laying the pipes.
The issue was
sorted out only in 2012. Another hurdle in front of the authorities is
the clearance from National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) for road
cutting to lay the pipe lines for the project.
As per the norms of
NHAI, the tarred road cannot be dug or cut. The Corporation will also
have to seek an exemption from the Centre, for digging NH.
