Work on replacing 1,524 m of defective pipeline under the Alappuzha drinking water project is set to be delayed due to the unavailability of skilled labourers following the COVID-19 outbreak.
As per the decision, 1,084 m of the faulty pipeline at Thakazhy and another 440 m at Kelamangalam would have to be replaced.
Last week, a tentative schedule for the pipe-relaying work was prepared by the Kerala Water Authority (KWA) as directed by the government. As per the plan, the work was to begin on March 18.
From other states
“The pipe-relaying work needs skilled labourers. The contractor had arranged the necessary labour from Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. But, they have now returned to their respective States following the COVID-19 situation. The contractor has given us a letter citing the issue,” said an official with the Urban Infrastructure Development Scheme for Small and Medium Towns (UIDSSMT).
Burst 40 times
The Alappuzha drinking water project was executed by the KWA with Central assistance under the UIDSSMT in 2017.
However, since its launch, pipelines under the project have burst more than 40 times, including 30 major bursts at Thakazhy, disrupting water supply and damaging the Ambalappuzha-Thiruvalla road.
A high-level meeting convened by Water Resources Minister K. Krishnankutty in November 2019 decided to replace the defective pipeline in three months.
Officials said that 1,000-mm high-density polyethylene pipe would be replaced with 900-mm mild steel pipe after digging the Ambalappuzha-Thiruvalla road.
The pipe relaying will be done by the same contractor who laid the pipeline and bear the cost of the mild steel pipe. The KWA will bear the cost of restoring the road dug up for laying the pipeline.
No estimate yet
Officials further said that the Public Works Department (PWD) was yet to provide the estimate for the restoration of the road after completing the pipeline work.
“We have already given letters to the Public Works Department and Uralungal Labour Contract Cooperative Society urging them to prepare an estimate. But they have not responded to it. As such, we have prepared an estimate, but it needs to be vetted. Given all this and the prevailing situation, it is difficult to fix a date for starting the pipe-relaying work,” said the UIDSSMT official.
