The burst on Tuesday had disrupted water supply to Alappuzha municipality and eight grama panchayats
The work to repair the damaged pipeline under the Alappuzha drinking water project in Thakazhi will begin on Thursday.
The pipe burst at Kannamukku on the Ambalapuzha- Thiruvalla road on Tuesday. Officials of the Urban Infrastructure Development Scheme for Small and Medium Towns (UIDSSMT) said that they hoped to restore regular water supply by Saturday. "The work to repair the damaged pipeline will begin on Thursday morning and we hope to complete it by Friday evening," said an official.
It was the 70th leak on pipelines under the Alappuzha drinking water project in less than five years. A majority of the leaks occurred on 1.5-km pipelines at Thakazhi and Kelamangalam. The latest burst damaged a portion of the road and disrupted water supply to thousands of households in the Alappuzha municipality and eight nearby grama panchayats.
Though the UIDSSMT launched the work to replace defective pipelines at Kelamangalam and Thakazhi in February, it is making slow progress. The plan is to lay around 1,200 metres of 900-mm mild steel pipe. While the laying of 370 metres pipeline between Kelamangalam and Valiyapalam has been completed, there is uncertainty over carrying out the second phase of pipe-laying work between Valiyapalam and Railway cross. The latest leak occurred on a pipe meant to be replaced. "The contractor has raised certain demands for the second phase of work. Discussions are ongoing and we hope to restart the pipe-laying work by next week," the official added.
The work is carried out by digging the Ambalapuzha-Thiruvalla road.
The Alappuzha drinking water project was executed by the Kerala Water Authority (KWA) with Central assistance under the UIDSSMT in 2017. .
