Thiruvananthapuram hears good news on fifth day; water supply set to resume from Monday morning

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: On Sunday, officials failed their promise to complete the pipeline repair works within 48 hours in Thiruvananthapuram, putting residents into a disastrous fourth day without water.

Amidst the rising protests and public rage, the water authority completed the 100-hour pipe replacement work by 10 pm on Sunday. Mayor Arya Rajendran on Sunday night confirmed the water supply would resume by Monday morning. The pumping will begin soon while low-lying areas are expected to get water within one hour.

In 33 wards where the drinking water supply was completely stopped, people were seen running amok to secure at least a bottle of water to complete their necessities. Many people in these areas locked their houses and shifted to their relatives’ residences in faraway places.

Minister V Sivankutty after an official meeting on Saturday, had promised to restore water supply by Sunday morning. People who took these words into belief got the sad realization by Sunday morning when water failed to ripple through their pipes. In the afternoon, Water Resources Minister Roshy Augustine visited the areas where the work was ongoing and assessed the progress. It was announced that pumping would start at 4 pm. But akin to earlier promises, this also fell flat.

On Saturday, a leak was found in the valve installed on the CIT road in the Killipalam-Jagathy section. Landslides occurred during the maintenance and there were several defects in fixing the valve while the work was in progress, which prolonged the work.