Water Resources Minister Roshy Augustine said emergency measures have been taken to ensure that drinking water supply in Ernakulam is not interrupted after the Kerala Water Authority’s water tank collapsed on Monday (Nov 10, 2025).
“Since the model code of conduct has come into effect with the notification of the local bodies’ vote, the Disaster Management Act has been invoked to ensure that ongoing work is not affected,” Mr Augustine told an emergency meeting of people’s representatives and officials held here after the incident.
The tank had two interconnected chambers, each with a capacity of 68 million liters. One of these partitions has failed. Emergency attempts are underway to seal the leak. Water was pumped into the tank from Aluva and Maradu, with the water from Maradu being stored in the now collapsed area. This water must now be diverted to a second ward where a minor leak was also detected and must be resolved before potable water supply is restored.
Water delivery timings will be rescheduled once the pumping system is restored. Pumping will take place in three shifts – from 3 to 5 a.m., from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. and from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m.
“The storage capacity of the tank has now been reduced from the previous 1.35 million liters to 68 million litres. To partially offset this shortfall, the storage level in the remaining space will be raised from 4 meters to 4.20 metres, bringing the capacity to 85 million litres,” Mr Augustine said.
Water supply to remote areas is likely to face problems under the prevailing conditions. A decision was taken to supply the affected areas with water using tanker trucks, which will be provided with the help of the regional transport officer. The District Collector will call an online meeting in this regard.
Storage tanks with a capacity of 5,000 to 10,000 liters will be installed in areas inaccessible to tanker trucks. The location of these tanks will be decided by Kochi Corporation and Cheranalloor grama panchayat. District Collector G. Priyanka will oversee operations while Deputy Collector (Disaster Management) K. Manoj will coordinate with various agencies.
The Kerala Water Authority has been directed not to collect dues from local bodies. Mr. Augustine said drinking water supply to Pachalam and Vaduthala could be facilitated by commissioning the newly constructed water reservoir at Pachalam.
MP Hibi Eden, MLA Uma Thomas and TJ Vinod and other people’s representatives attended the meeting.
Published – 10 Nov 2025 20:59 IST
