After a decade-long wait, works on the Malankara-Meenachil drinking water project that envisages distributing drinking water across the eastern settlements of Central Travancore, is finally set to begin on October 21.
The project, which is now being implemented as part of the Jal Jeevan Mission, received the administrative sanction in 2012 during the tenure of K.M. Mani as the State Finance Minister. The scope of the project, which initially covered only a few panchayats, has now been expanded to include 13 local bodies across the Meenachil and Kanjirappally taluks in Kottayam.
According to the Water Resources Minister Roshy Augustine, the ₹1,250 crore project will ensure potable water supply to 42,230 families. The project involves establishing a 2,085 km long pipeline network and 154 storage units.
The water to be distributed under the scheme will be drawn from the Malankara reservoir, in Thodupuzha, under the Malankara Irrigation department by constructing a floating pump house at Mathpara in Muttom village. It will then be routed to proposed water treatment plant at Neeloor in Kadanad panchayat through two boosting units. The authorities have already acquired 1.75 acres of land at Neeloor for establishing a plant with a capacity to treat 45 million litres of water.
The treated water will then be routed to the underground storage unit at Poonjar for further distribution at the local body level.
“As the water is drawn from the Malankara reservoir, the project will be functional even during extreme summer. The plan is to install a computer-based water treatment unit and make the entire distribution system flawless’’, the Minister said.
The Malankara-Meenachil project is being implemented as an alternative to the Meenachil River Valley Project, which involved construction of check-dams across the water body. It’s opening meanwhile, also marks a significant political victory for the Kerala Congress (M) [KC(M)], which has been at a constant political battle with the Pala legislator Mani C. Kappan.
The project, which had received a budgetary allocation of ₹3 crore eleven years ago , was attempted to be revived by Mr. Kappan during his previous term as the legislator. But the abrupt reshuffle in political equations ahead of the Assembly elections and the ensuing appointment of the KC(M) leader Roshy Augustine as the Water Resources Minister in the next Left Democratic Front (LDF) government had brought in yet another twist in its implementation.
Alongside the Malankara-Meenachil project, independent drinking water projects are being implemented for the Erattupetta and Pala municipalities as well as for the Karoor panchayat, informed Jose K. Mani MP
