Old and leaky pipelines a headache for city residents

Thiruvananthapuram: Recurring pipe bursts, particularly with regard to premo pipes, continue to create disruptions in the water supply in the city.
According to KWA’s own admission, around 50% water is lost during transmission.
The latest pipe burst has been reported at Ulloor Junction. Incidentally, one of the leaks in the pipe was found to be an old one and has been the reason for water shortage in the area for a long time.
It was only recently that Kerala water authority (KWA) found a leak in asbestos cement pipe in Charachira that remained hidden for several months.
These leaks point to the need for immediate replacement of old pipelines and procurement of effective leak detection equipment.
Due to shortage of water supply in Ulloor region, KWA suspected a leak in the 400mm premo pipeline. However, it was unable to locate the leak. Incidentally, when KWA dug up the road, they were surprised to see a concrete duct of a private telecom company placed above the pipeline.
“We have no idea how the telecom firm could place such a huge concrete duct above the pipeline. Ideally, they should seek permission, but no permission was taken. The road belongs to the Kerala road fund board. Seems like the concrete duct is quite old,” said an official from KWA.
On the request of KWA, representatives of the telecom firm removed the concrete duct from the site. KWA officials said that there was a large hole in the pipe, which could have formed as a result of pressure from above or due to wear and tear.
KWA officials initiated the works to repair the pipeline at Ulloor on Sunday morning. The works would involve replacing the leaking portion with mild steel (MS) pipe or placing a clamp to stop leakage.
Areas such as Ulloor, Kumarapuram, Akkulam, Medical College, Murinjapalam etc were affected due to the leak. KWA officials said that water supply will be normalized in these areas once the work is over.
However, the 30-year-old pipes are likely to have more leaks.
KWA was able to replace premo pipes only in Ambalamukku-Paruthipara and Sasthamangalam-Peroorkada stretches. It has invited tender to replace the premo pipes in the Medical College-Murinjapalam stretch where the latest pipe burst was reported.
Officials of project wing of KWA, which is responsible for pipe replacement, said that all major premo pipes would be replaced.
“Proposals have been sent for technical sanction for all remaining works to replace the premo pipes,” said officials.