Minister for Water Resources Roshy Augustine has said that emergency measures have been taken to ensure that the drinking water supply in Ernakulam is not disrupted following the collapse of the Kerala Water Authority’s water storage tank on Monday (November 10, 2025).
“Since the Model Code of Conduct has come into effect with the notification of the local body polls, the Disaster Management Act has been invoked to ensure that ongoing works are not affected,” Mr. Augustine told an emergency meeting of people’s representatives and officials held here in the wake of the incident.
The tank had two interlinked compartments, each with a capacity of 68 lakh litres. One of these compartments has caved in. Emergency efforts are under way to plug the leakage. Water was pumped into the tank from Aluva and Maradu, with water from Maradu stored in the now-collapsed compartment. This water now has to be diverted to the other compartment, where minor leakage has also been detected and must be resolved before resuming the drinking water supply.
The timing of the water supply will be rescheduled once the pumping system is restored. Pumping will be carried out in three shifts—from 3 a.m. to 5 a.m., 9 a.m. to 11 a.m., and 3 p.m. to 5 p.m.
“The tank’s storage capacity has now been reduced from the earlier 1.35 crore litres to 68 lakh litres. To partially offset this shortfall, the storage level in the remaining compartment will be increased from 4 metres to 4.20 metres, thereby enhancing the capacity to 85 lakh litres,” Mr. Augustine said.
Water supply to distant areas is likely to face challenges under the prevailing conditions. A decision has been taken to supply water to affected areas using tanker lorries, which will be sourced with the help of the Regional Transport Officer. The District Collector will convene an online meeting in this regard.
In areas inaccessible to tanker lorries, storage tanks with capacities ranging from 5,000 to 10,000 litres will be installed. Locations for these tanks will be identified by the Kochi Corporation and Cheranalloor grama panchayat. District Collector G. Priyanka will oversee the operations, while Deputy Collector (Disaster Management) K. Manoj will coordinate with various agencies.
The Kerala Water Authority has been directed not to levy charges on local bodies. Mr. Augustine said that drinking water supply to Pachalam and Vaduthala could be facilitated by operationalising the newly constructed water storage tank at Pachalam.
Hibi Eden, MP, MLAs Uma Thomas and T.J. Vinod, and other people’s representatives attended the meeting.
Published – November 10, 2025 08:59 pm IST
