Reviving the 140 million litre a day (MLD) water treatment plant project proposed at Aluva, which had been in the cold storage for the past five years, the state government has given the administrative sanction of Rs 130 crore for constructing the plant. Once the plant is constructed, water supply to Kochi and neighbouring areas can be increased by almost one-third thereby filling the gap in the demand and supply.
The Kerala Water Authority (KWA) had submitted a proposal costing around Rs 300 crore which included the construction of the plant and a pipeline network to distribute the water in the city and suburbs.
Earlier, the government had given Rs 50 crore for demolishing KWA quarters on the proposed site of the plant at Pump Junction and for constructing new quarters in another area. Another quarter to rehabilitate the employees should be constructed near Town Hall, Aluva.
The total demand for water in Kochi and its suburbs is more than 500 MLD while the total supply is around 400 MLD. The KWA runs two major water treatment plants in the district. The first plant at Aluva generates around 290 MLD while another plant at Maradu generates around 75 MLD. The new plant will be the second-largest one in the district.