Thiruvananthapuram, Wednesday 16 March 2010: Normal supply of water to areas in the city serviced by the Kerala Water Authority’s reservoir at Observatory Hill disrupted since 6.30 p.m. on Tuesday is expected to be restored by todday morning.

The pumping of water from the 82 mld treatment plant at Aruvikkara dam which supplies water to the Observatory Hill reservoir was stopped on Tuesday evening to facilitate rectification of a leak at the point of interconnection between a pipeline laid as part of the JICA scheme and the main line ferrying water from the 82mld plant to the reservoir at Observatory Hill.

Though the interconnection of these lines was completed past midnight on Sunday, the ‘flange’ joints connecting the two lines sprang a leak when water was made to flow through the line from Aruvikkara.

The 82 mld plant had been shut down on Saturday afternoon to allow JICA officials to carry out the interconnection.
Despite the leak, engineers of the KWA decided not to shut down the treatment plant because such a move would have led to a massive water shortage in the capital city.

The repair of the leaking joint involved cutting away the two flange joints put in place on Sunday night and replacing them with two sections of mild steel pipe.