TrivandrumLife>> Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to inaugurate the 75 mld (million litre per day) treatment plant at Aruvikkara this month. Funded by Centrally sponsored Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT), the project was executed by city-based Chicago Constructions International Private Limited.
The project was under a trial run for the past one month. The plant will bring additional 75 million litre water to the city. Already city has been receiving water from the existing 72-mld, 86-mld and the 74-mld water treatment plants at Aruvikkara. However, this has become insufficient to meet the water requirements of the city, especially during summer. Several high level areas are experiencing severe water shortage during summer. KWA officials said that the project will bring a solution to this issue.
Prime minister is expected to inaugurate the plant on February 14 as part of his Kerala visit. It is expected that the PM will inaugurate the project through video conferencing as he will return after a single-day visit to Kochi. Though officials have received a communication over the inauguration, the date is yet to be finalised.
The cost, which include design, construction, commissioning and maintenance of the plant, is Rs 56.29 crore. The plant has utilised plate settler technology (lamella) that requires less space compared to the conventional method.
Construction of another water supply project – a 120-mld treatment plant with Neyyar as the source – is yet to take off due to hurdles in land acquisition.
Jisha Surya is a media professional with over a decade of experience in various media houses including The New Indian Express and Times of India. She covers city infrastructure, social issues, and lifestyle stories.
