The 40-lakh-litre overhead reservoir at Kaloor, Kochi, which will be handed over to French firm SUEZ. It is the largest reservoir of its kind in the city.
| Photo Credit: THULASI KAKKAT
The Kerala Water Authority (KWA) will soon hand over its 40-lakh-litre overhead reservoir at Kaloor to French firm SUEZ, which has taken over the operation and maintenance of drinking water supply within the Kochi Corporation limits.
The reservoir, the largest of its kind in the city, has remained unused for some time. The KWA is exploring the possibility of using the tank to supplement the distribution network in areas currently served by the Thammanam tank.
“We had tried to make the tank operational earlier but encountered a few issues at the time. Our plan is to use the tank as a reserve in case of supply disruptions due to any issues at the Thammanam tank. We are also exploring the possibility of using it to strengthen the distribution network served by the Thammanam tank. This could help address water shortages in tail-end regions,” said a KWA source. The areas that could benefit if this works out include Kaloor, Pachalam, Vaduthala, and Palarivattom.
The tank, along with several other overhead storage reservoirs (OHSRs) in the city, remains unutilised. The water utility attributes the non-utilisation of these reservoirs to the shortage in the volume of water available for distribution.
Of the 13 OHSRs in the city, only six are operational, said another KWA source. “Among the unutilised ones, some were built over two decades ago. But even the newly constructed ones have not been utilised yet. The Kaloor tank was sanctioned around 10 years ago under the AMRUT project to augment water supply within the Corporation limits. It is high time that the tank was utilised. The operation of these tanks is not entirely dependent on the volume of water available,” the source added.
The facilities that are not used include the two 18-lakh-litre tanks at Camp Shed and Kadavanthra, the 15-lakh-litre tank at Ravipuram, and the 13-lakh and 10-lakh-litre facilities at Edakochi and Thevara.
“We need to make all these units functional. If all pipelines in the distribution system are systematically planned and connected to these OHSRs, the residual pressure in the distribution system can be managed effectively to ensure equitable water distribution. We do not have to wait till the 190 MLD water treatment plant becomes operational. We can start the work to connect these tanks to the network right away. Sending water through these tanks will increase the pressure in the network due to their elevation,” said the source.
The operational tanks include the 14.2-lakh-litre facility at Fort Kochi, a 22-lakh-litre reservoir at Mattancherry, two 18.2-lakh-litre tanks at Koovappadam and Thoppumpady, a 25-lakh-litre tank at Karuvelipady, a 15-lakh-litre facility at Vaduthala, and a 17-lakh-litre tank at Pachalam.
Published – August 13, 2026 09:50 pm IST
