Water plant hits another roadblock

KOCHI: The Rs 201-crore water treatment plant project, envisaged under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) to solve the city’s potable water crisis, has hit another stumbling block with the state government appointing a committee to study the possibilities of an alternative route to lay the pipes. The committee has asked the Kerala Water Authority (KWA) to conduct a review study to analyse the feasibility of the new route.Last year, a feasibility study was conducted by the KWA and it was found that the alternative route was not feasible. Meanwhile, Corporation sources alleged that the last-minute decision to go in for a review study was owing to the intervention of Food and Civil Supplies Minister T M Jacob who represents the Piravom constituency. The decision to conduct another study will delay the project which would have solved the potable water crisis of the city to a considerable extent.As per the original plan, water will be drawn from the Muvattupuzha river at Pazhoorkadavu and will be brought to the plant at Maradu via the Piravom-Arakkunnam-Mulanthuruthy route. But the residents of Piravom came out in protest against the move to dig up the Nadakkavu-Koothattukulam Road to lay the pipeline.  The proposed new route is through  Vattukunnu, Vettikkal, Pampra and Karoorkavu. The KWA had conducted a feasibility study on the new route and submitted a report.