Work on the 75 mld (million litres a day) water treatment plant at Aruvikkara, which is expected to significantly improve water supply to the capital city, has entered the final phase. While the facility is tipped to be commissioned ahead of the 2021 summer, fund shortage is, however, threatening further delays.
The ₹56 crore plant was originally scheduled for commissioning in March 2020, but the COVID-19 outbreak and the consequent lockdown had thrown a spanner in the works.
Ninety per cent of work on the project - implemented under the centrally-sponsored Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) - has been completed after work resumed on a limited scale after the lockdown was lifted.
Civil works over
The civil works are mostly over and the electro-mechanical works are nearing completion. SCADA and electrification-related work and tests are pending, an official of the Kerala Water Authority (KWA) said.
The contractor for the project, Chicago Constructions Pvt Ltd, has drawn the attention of the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation to the ‘undue delay’ in releasing payments for the work which has affected the work.
In a letter to Mayor K. Sreekumar, the contractor noted that the delay has slowed down the pace of work.
The firm has requested the Corporation to urgently release ₹11.12 crore, as the payment has been pending for several months, adding that its resources have been exhausted. Being an AMRUT project, the cost is shared by the Centre and the State (through the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation).
The 75 mld plant is being equipped with a lamella clarifier (inclined plate settler) for removing particulates from the raw water. It will complement the existing 72 mld, 86 mld and the 74 mld water treatment facilities in Aruvikkara.
Once the plant is commissioned, water will be pumped from Aruvikkara to the KWA tanks at PTP Nagar and Peroorkada for distribution.
