Drinking water shortage, which is causing severe hardship for Kochi residents, is also punching a hole in the already precarious finances of the city Corporation, which has been forced to deploy tanker lorries to supply water to affected areas.
According to norms, the Corporation is not permitted to spend more than ₹10 lakh annually under this head, but it exceeded the limit by ₹2 lakh during the 2025 calendar year. The supply deficit following the collapse of one of the two water storage chambers at the Kerala Water Authority’s (KWA) Thammanam pump house in November, 2025 has driven the Corporation’s spending on water tankers steadily upward.
‘Waive water charges
“The Corporation can neither afford this nor is it a sustainable solution. In addition to hiring tankers, we are compelled to purchase water from the KWA for distribution. Since the KWA is the designated agency responsible for water supply, it should at least provide water free of cost for distribution through tankers,” said Mayor V.K. Minimol.
The Kochi Corporation has taken up the matter with Water Resources Minister Roshy Augustine at a recent meeting. A senior KWA official, when contacted, clarified that under the current arrangement water supplied through tankers was chargeable and the agency had no scope to alter this policy.
Meeting in capital
Mr. Augustine has convened a meeting in Thiruvananthapuram on January 28 to discuss Kochi’s drinking water crisis, following consultations with Ernakulam MLA T.J. Vinod and the Mayor.
A permanent solution to the shortage lies in commissioning the proposed 190 Million Litres per Day (MLD) water treatment plant at Aluva, which is currently in the tender stage.
The water crisis has been further aggravated by breakdowns at KWA’s Pazhoor pump house since December, 2025. “There have been shutdowns and KSEB maintenance-related breakdowns at the pump house since December 25 leading to supply disruptions. This has added to the shortfall in Kochi, which is already facing a deficit of 60 MLD. Water from Pazhoor is pumped to the Maradu plant, from where around 78.5 MLD is supplied within Kochi Corporation limits,” said the KWA official.
Published – January 22, 2026 04:12 pm IST
