Kochi water crisis: water supply resumed

Kochi: Drinking water supply to several parts of the city that was disrupted after the main pipeline burst at the Metro Rail site near Lisie Junction on Monday has been restored. The pipeline was ruptured during the excavation works for the Metro Rail project.

Despite heavy rains, Kerala Water Authority (KWA) could complete repair works by Thursday afternoon and pumping was restarted.

However, it will take five to six hours for the supply to reach its normal volume as water in the entire pipeline network had been drained out to facilitate repair works. 

The repairing of the broken pipe was delayed as the KWA could not assess the damage caused to the 600 mm main pipeline carrying water from Thammanam pump house as it took two days to drain out the water within the pipeline.

Though valves in the network were closed, water was flowing out and it was difficult to empty the pipeline in heavy rains.

Due to the delay in repairing the burst pipe, water supply to areas like SRM Road, Kaloor, Kacheripady, Pachalam, Vaduthala, Mulavukadu, Elamakkara and central parts of the city have been disrupted for four days.