Piravom: The Kerala Water Authority (KWA) is facing difficulties in ensuring an uninterrupted supply of drinking water in Piravom, as a private telecom company joins KSEB and KSTP in road excavations.

Most of the pipelines here are over three decades old and are already under strain from high-pressure pumping, which frequently leads to bursts. Adding to the challenge, pipelines from the Kakkad and Methippara drinking water projects are being damaged in connection with the renovation works at Peruvamoozhi. Roads are also being dug to lay underground electricity cables for the town, adding to the complications.

These excavation works are being carried out by casual labourers using machinery, often without knowledge of the exact pipeline routes. As a result, identifying and repairing damaged sections has become increasingly difficult, KWA officials say.

Recently, it took the authorities a week to locate and fix a broken pipe near the Padavetti Bridge in Piravom before pumping could resume. In Ramamangalam, five days have passed and water supply has still not been restored. The damage has been traced to the Ullappilly area, affecting distribution to the Maradi Panchayat as well.

Continuous power outages over the past two days have further disrupted pumping to the Kakkad drinking water project. The plant, which treats 16 MLD of water, faced interruptions that affected the supply. Excavation by the private telecom company caused severe pipeline damage, delaying both its detection and repair for several days.