KWA to build 50-lakh-litre tank at Thammanam to ease Kochi water crisis

The Kerala Water Authority (KWA) has decided to construct a new tank with a combined capacity of 50 lakh litres at Thammanam to tackle the drinking water shortage in Kochi, following the partial collapse of the 1.35-crore-litre tank at the site.

The proposed facility will replace the 35 lakh-litre tank the utility had earlier planned in place of the destroyed chamber. The revised design will consist of a Ground Level Reservoir and an Overhead Service Reservoir, each with a capacity of 25 lakh litres.

The project is estimated to cost around ₹31 crore and has been approved for inclusion in the Asian Development Bank's refurbishment project. One component of that programme covers the renovation of water treatment plants at Aluva and Maradu, and the new tank is being folded into this work. Officials expect the project to be completed in nine months.

A KWA source said the ruptured compartment had held about 68 lakh litres, and that the earlier proposal of a 35 lakh-litre tank was felt to be inadequate. Space constraints at the site ruled out a larger structure, the source added, noting that the sump and overhead tank together would provide 50 lakh litres of storage. The design has been approved and the project has administrative sanction, with work to be taken up on priority given the urgency.

The tank will come up on the water utility's land at Thammanam. According to the source, it is expected to address the water scarcity experienced in various parts of the city since the partial collapse of the original tank.

Ernakulam MLA T.J. Vinod said Kochi continues to face a drinking water crisis. While the new tank at Thammanam will bring some relief, he noted that commissioning will take time as the tendering process is yet to be carried out.