The Kerala Water Authority (KWA) executive engineer has filed a complaint with the Idukki District Police Chief and the Santhanpara police demanding a detailed probe into the unexpected fire that gutted nearly 2.5-crore worth Jal Jeevan Mission pipes at Santhanpara in Idukki on Friday evening.
According to the KWA officials, the high-density polyethylene (HDPE) pipes were stored near the ground at the Poopara village office and were mostly gutted due to the fire that broke out around 5.30 p.m. on Friday.
KWA’s Kattappana project office executive engineer Sudheer M. said a report has already been submitted to the Idukki District Collector. “Only a police probe can reveal the actual reason behind the fire. The 90 mm HDPE pipes (153 km) were stored for operating various water distribution projects under the Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) in the Santhanpara panchayat. “Pipeline for nearly 80 km have already been laid while remaining pipes were stored on the ground. Most of the HDPE pipes were gutted. We suspect that the recovered pipes cannot be used for the JJM project,” said Mr. Sudheer.
“The actual loss was only apparent after a detailed inspection,” he said.
The official has ruled out the possibility of a short circuit behind the fire as there was no power line over the ground.
Officials said the Water Resources department’s team will visit the spot on Monday. Officials said the JJM project contractor also filed a complaint before the Santhanpara police station demanding a detailed probe.
