Kochi: The drinking water crisis in Kochi worsened on Wednesday following the collapse of a water tank at Kuthappady near Thammanam earlier this week, leaving large parts of the city without regular supply.

The shortage has been particularly severe in areas such as Mulavukadu, Ponnurunni, and the Vyttila–Petta stretch, where water distribution through tanker lorries has fallen short of demand. With no tankers reaching the Poonithura–Ayyankali Road area until 6 pm on Wednesday, the local residents’ association had to arrange private tankers to meet immediate needs.

Meanwhile, the Kerala Water Authority (KWA) said that water pumping to MG Road, Kaloor, and Pachalam resumed on Thursday morning, while supply to Poonithura and Petta was restored later that night.

The KWA used to supply around 1.35 crore litres of water daily from two compartments. The agency, however, is currently able to distribute only about 85 lakh litres. Given this shortfall, there is a likelihood of acute water scarcity in the peripheral parts of Kochi city. 

To address the situation, the District Collector on Thursday issued directions for convening a joint meeting of the KWA, Kochi Corporation and Cheranalloor panchayat on Friday. During the meeting, the panchayat and corporation secretaries will identify key areas that need immediate tanker supply, and a comprehensive distribution plan using water tankers will be drawn up accordingly.

The engineering wing of the KWA has been instructed to submit a report within a week on whether a new water chamber should be constructed in place of the collapsed tank, and if so, whether it should be built on the same site. Furher, the engineer of the Local Self Government Department, has been asked to file a detailed report based on the preliminary findings of the Tehsildar regarding compensation for the victims of the tank burst accident. The decision was taken at a meeting chaired by the District Collector.

Deputy Collector K Manoj, of the District Disaster Management Authority, said the KWA has also been directed to inspect the safety of all water tanks in the district and submit a report within 15 days.

Locals rise in protest
Meanwhile, local residents staged a protest on Thursday over the delay in disbursing compensation to those who suffered losses when a water tank burst at Kuthappady, unleashing a sudden gush of water through the area.

A group of residents, led by councillor Sakkeer Thammanam, blocked the construction of a temporary fence around the damaged tank site. The councillor maintained that work on the fencing would be allowed to proceed only after authorities provided assurances regarding the reconstruction of the perimeter wall and gate of a nearby house that were destroyed in the incident.

The compound wall of the house, inhabited by a family including women and children, was completely damaged in the accident.

Second water tank found structurally weak
Reports have now emerged that the second water tank at Kuthappady, too, is structurally weak. The tank, with a capacity of 68 lakh litres, is located adjacent to the collapsed one, which had a storage capacity of 1.35 crore litres. According to locals, the second tank, commissioned in 1992, had shown signs of leakage from the very beginning.