KWA, Kochi Corpn. conduct a joint review of the alleged water contamination
Kerala Water Authority (KWA) and Kochi Corporation will jointly conduct an inspection on Monday (June 8, 2026) to assess the quality of drinking water due to alleged water contamination in three divisions of the corporation.
About 60 residents of Kadavanthra, Panampilly Nagar and Perumanoor divisions reportedly complained of diarrhea and vomiting after allegedly consuming drinking water supplied by KWA. Councilors representing the division alleged that contamination of the KWA water supply was behind the incident. Civic and health authorities conducted awareness campaigns and initiated chlorination in the region.
Perumanoor councilor KX Francis said tests conducted on water samples taken from taps in homes where residents fell ill revealed the presence of coliform bacteria. “More than 60 people fell ill and sought medical attention. While the water sample taken by me was positive for bacteria, subsequent tests conducted by KWA returned negative results,” he said.
K. Aiyeswareyan, an affected resident of Koparambil Lane, said he had to hospitalize his 73-year-old mother for over four days and that he realized the source of the infection was drinking water only after more people started complaining in the locality.
Panampilly Nagar division councilor Antony Painuthara said that although the situation is largely under control, at least two new cases were reported on Saturday. “People started falling ill about eight days ago. We have advised residents to completely empty and clean their water tanks. Water is also being supplied through tankers to those who need it,” he said.
However, the KWA authorities have denied the allegations of water contamination. “All the samples we took from our pipe network were negative for the presence of any bacteria. Further, the claim that the contamination was caused by recent work to repair a leak near the shipyard area does not hold because the pipeline does not supply water to that area,” the official said.
The official said that KWA cannot be held responsible for the contamination in consumers’ water tanks. As part of the ongoing inspection of the affected locations, samples will be taken again on Monday. “We will only collect samples in the metro,” the official added.
Published – June 6, 2026 10:12 PM IST