Water contamination in KWA pipes persists in Fort Kochi
Demanding a solution to the issue, the residents had taken to the streets several times. "We have been bringing the issue to the notice of KWA officials for the past few months. But KWA is still unable to identify the reason for contamination. The officials just speculate that contamination might be caused by water pipelines passing through drains. They said old, dilapidated pipes burst and contaminated water from the drains gushed into them.
But KWA officials are unable to identify the areas where pipes burst have occured, contaminating the pipe water," said Antony Kureethra, councillor from Fort Kochi division.
"The water contamination issue exists at many places in Fort Kochi and Kalvathy divisions and also in some parts of Vypeen," he added.
Residents are hence forced to procure water from private suppliers. "Several families are finding it difficult to buy water from private suppliers as charges are high.
We collected water from the KWA pipeline in our area and took it to KWA office in Fort Kochi. It was visibly contaminated. Discolouration and a foul smell emanating from the water suggested that it was contaminated. But KWA has failed to take any mitigating measures," said former mayor K J Sohan.
Many roads and drains were reconstructed under projects like Smart City. During such works, many KWA pipes burst. This is another reason for water contamination, said locals.
According to KWA officials, a shortage of workers is one of the reasons for delay in carrying out repair works. "We are trying to procure labourers for repair works. There are certain issues with identifying the leakage spots too. Anyway, we are making all efforts for repair works," said a KWA official.
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