Palakkad: The Kerala Water Authority (KWA) has launched a districtwide initiative to dismantle ageing and unsafe water tanks across Palakkad, many of which have become potential safety hazards.

Officials said tanks located in densely populated areas will be taken down first, and a detailed assessment to identify such structures is currently underway. Earlier reports indicated that nearly 22 water tanks in the district face the risk of collapse, with most of them lying unused.

The first structure to be demolished is the KWA water tank inside the Vattekkad Government UP School compound at Elavancherry. The tank, which has not been in use for a year, has already completed the tender process, and ₹15 lakh has been sanctioned for the work.

Dismantling procedures for tanks at Chikkanampara in Kollengode and Cherpulassery are also in progress. However, tenders for these sites will be floated only after the local body elections.

Tanks that pose a danger to public life are also located in other parts of the district, such as Mattumantha, Puthupariyaram and Koduvayur. There will be no disruption to the water supply even if these tanks are demolished, as other tanks established under the Jal Jeevan Mission and KWA are already functioning.

Distribution of water to the Elavancherry region is currently carried out from the Jal Jeevan Mission tank at Kumbalakkodu and another KWA tank under Meenakshipuram.