Pipes old and bursting

KOCHI: Pipelines of the Kerala Water Authority are bursting quite often causing hardships for all. It has almost become a routine affair. The project to replace  old and substandard pipes with new ones which commenced a couple of years ago is moving at a snail’s pace. So the old ones are creating a lot of problems.There were instances when motorcyclists lost their life after falling into the cave formed in the area where pipes broke. Huge craters on the Thammanam-Palarivattom Road, under which  lies the KWA pipeline to Thammanam pump  house from Aluva pump  house, pose a threat to the motorists. To stop the leakage of water, the KWA stops pumping at the Aluva pump house which disrupts potable water supply to the entire city. It was after much hue and cry that former Water Resources Minister N K Premachandran convened a discussion to find a lasting solution to the issue. At the meeting, it was decided to replace the substandard pipes with new ones.  The project, which was included in Kerala Sustainable Urban Development Project  (KSUDP), has reached nowhere so far.  “We are giving priority to laying new pipes in Thammanam where the most number of pipe bursts and subsequent accidents have been reported.  The work of other pipelines in Kathrikadavu and Perumanoor will be started soon after the work in Thammanam is completed,” an official with the KWA said.