Fresh erosion beneath KWA plant renews disaster fears in Idukki's Korangatti

Adimali: A year after the first landslip struck the Korangatti water treatment plant in Adimali, fresh erosion reported in the area in recent days has left local residents spending sleepless nights in fear.

Though Kerala Water Authority (KWA) officials have stacked sandbags at the site instead of constructing a retaining wall, residents maintain that the temporary arrangement is far from safe, given the seriousness of the situation.

The treatment plant, constructed under the Adimali drinking water supply scheme, stores nearly 2.5 lakh litres of water brought from the Kainagiri check dam. Locals fear that if another major landslip occurs during the monsoon, it could trigger a disaster that could wash away Korangatti town and nearby areas.

The plant has been set up on a cut slope along the Machiplavu-Korangatti-Kallar road under the Public Works Department. Manorama reported on the landslip at the site in July last year. However, the authorities' failure to construct a protective wall has only worsened the threat. With rains intensifying in recent days, fresh instances of soil erosion and landslides have once again been reported beneath the plant.

The executive engineer of the KWA said the matter had already come to the department’s attention. Though funds had been sanctioned and tender procedures completed months ago for the construction of a retaining wall, no contractor was willing to take up the work, officials said. Following this, Fresh tender procedures were later completed, and the contract has now reportedly been awarded.

Considering the possibility of delays in commencing the work, sandbags have been stacked at the site as a temporary measure to avert danger, the engineer added.