The Kerala Water Authority (KWA) has spent ₹36.17 crore to repair damaged pipelines under the Alappuzha drinking water project in the past six years, a Right to Information (RTI) query has revealed.
Since its launch in 2017, pipelines under the project had burst 74 times. The RTI document, however, puts the number of leaks between May 2016 (during the trial run) and June 2022 at 49. The information was obtained by Kochi-based RTI campaigner K. Govindan Nampoothiry.
"The total cost of the Alappuzha drinking water project is estimated at ₹225 crore. That said, the KWA has spent a whopping ₹36.17 crore for repairing the damaged pipelines alone. It points to corruption in the project," said Mr. Nampoothiry.