Water deficit in Kochi, neighbouring local bodies may rise to 188 MLD by 2050

The water deficit faced by the Kochi Corporation, the adjoining five municipalities, and 12 grama panchayats may rise from 123 million litres per day (MLD) to 158 MLD in the next decade and 188 MLD by 2050.

The forecast was made during a presentation at the Kerala Water Summit, organised by the Association of Kerala Water Authority Officers (AKWAO) to mark World Water Day on Saturday (March 22). Shyju P. Thadathil, Superintending Engineer of the Kerala Water Authority, gave the presentation on ‘Challenges in Kochi water supply systems and sustainable alternatives’.

As of 2025, the demand in the project area is 513 MLD, which is likely to go up to 548 MLD and 598 MLD in 2035 and 2050, respectively. This demand has to be met from the availability of water, with an overload, of 390 MLD in 2025 and 2035 and 410 MLD in 2050.

Currently, 335 MLD of water is available from the water treatment plants at Aluva (225 MLD), Maradu (100 MLD), and Muvattupuzha (10 MLD). As per another projection, new water connections by 2050 in the Kochi Corporation area alone may increase by 26.22% to 1.59 lakh from the existing 1.35 lakh. During the same period, the number of connections in five adjoining municipalities may go up by 26% to 68,538 from the existing 54,397, and that of 13 grama panchayats by 3% to 3.32 lakh from the existing 2.82 lakh.

The presentation, among other things, lists the problems in the current water supply system. They include unequal distribution of water, lack of adequate volume of water, large pressure variations, no operational zones, non-optimal utilisation of overhead tanks, absence of GIS maps, identification of hotspots, and non-optimal energy utilisation.

Among the smart solutions proposed to address the issues were a dedicated feeder for Kochi and equitable distribution by zoning, additional quantity from the new water treatment plant, sustaining pressure by overhead tanks and valves, installation of flow and pressure sensors, and making digital twins for predictive analysis.

Zoning the Kochi Corporation into 19 zones and another 18 zones for the adjoining five municipalities and 13 grama panchayats has also been recommended for the effective distribution of water to consumers.