KWA commissions new reservoir under JICA

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Bringing down the water woes in the temple zone ahead of Attukal Pongala festival, the Kerala Water Authority (KWA) commissioned one of its reservoirs at Iranimuttam on Monday. The reservoir, with a capacity of 70 lakh litres, would considerably reduce the water scarcity in the area, which otherwise has to wait for water in tanker lorries.  The reservoir, situated on the Homoeo College premises at Iranimuttam, is one of the 11 reservoirs that come as a package under the JICA (Japan International Cooperation Agency) project of KWA. ‘’The construction of the tank was complete and we thought that if it is commissioned now, it could turn out to be a boon to so many Pongala devotees,’’ said JICA Deputy Chief Engineer Sreekumaran Nair. The reservoirs have already come up in many places, including Nelliyode, Kudappanakkunnu, Powdikonam, Manvila and so on. The work on the reservoir at Observatory is fast being completed, while the one at Thirumala is yet to be completed. The Thiruvananthapuram JICA project is estimated to cost a whopping ` 407 crore and the construction of reservoirs is being undertaken at a cost of ` 43.4 crore.  According to JICA officials, the water is pumped from the PTP reservoir to the Iranimuttam reservoir and would cater to the water needs of the Pongala population easily. Corporation and KWA officials used to bring truck loads of water to the area during Pongala; the situation is in for a change this time.