KOLLAM: In a relief from the drinking water problems facing Kollam city, the construction of a 12-metre diameter well at Njankadavu in Puthoor as part of Njankadavu drinking water project is nearing completion.
The well will be used to source water from the Kallada river. It is constructed by fixing a ring over the land using concrete and moving it down as the soil beneath is removed. The well has now reached a depth of 10.4 metres and just one metre is left to complete the construction. The works have been temporarily halted to break the rocky bottom to continue the works. The well is constructed at an estimated cost of Rs 2.6 crore.
Meanwhile, a regulator dam will be built adjacent to the well in Kallada river, some 100 metres away from the well under construction. Water will be regulated by constructing a steel shutter having a height of 6 metres.
The Rs 313.35 crore ‘Njankadavu’ drinking water project will cater water to the households in Kollam city. The project will source water from Kallada River and serve as an alternative to the water from Sasthamkotta Lake, apparently easing the burden on the lake.
The Kollam Corporation has already acquired land in Vasoorichira in Punthalat-hazham for setting up a treatment plant as part of the project. The water from the river will be pumped to Vasoorichira by setting up a 28-km mild steel pipeline having a diameter of 1,219 mm.
A 100 MLD treatment plant will be set up at Vasoorichira as per the project. The treated water will be stored in an overhead reservoir having a capacity of 56 lakh litres, at Manichithode. The water is then flown to an overhead tank at Sarathy Junction and an existing underground reservoir facility at Anandavalleeswaram, through a 914 mm diameter pipeline. The state government has given administrative sanction for the project in cooperation with the Kollam Corporation by allotting Rs 235 crore from Kerala Infrastructure Investment Fund Board (KIIFB).
