Kerala to come out with water management policy

Kochi, Jul 1 (UNI) The Kerala Government will soon come out with a 'comprehensive water management policy' to check encroachment and pollution of major rivers and other water bodies in the state, Water Resources Minister N K Premachandran said today.

Addressing a press meet here, he said the policy was under discussion and steps would be taken to finalise it by next month-end.

Workshops would be held at which experts, NGOs and government officials would participate to formulate the policy.

Setting up a 'River Management Authority' was also under the government's consideration, he added.

The government would also take steps through an anti-theft and vigilance squad to check the unauthorised diversion of water supplied by the Kerala Water Authority (KWA). As per estimates, nearly 30 per cent of water supply was 'lost' during transmission, the Minister said.

Mr Premachandran said a re-survey carried out by the Revenue Department in the Ashtamudi lake in Kollam district had revealed that it was encroached at nearly 45 points. A similar re-survey would be taken up in the Vellayini lake in Thiruvananthapuram also.

Regarding the Kerala High Court's directive to the state government to implement the HUDCO drinking water scheme for Kochi by next month, he said this would be difficult and the government would file a revision petition in the court against the order.

However, the government would take up work on the HUDCO project on a war footing and a monitoring committee would be set up, chaired by the District Collector, to ensure time-bound completion.

Regarding the DFID-funded water scheme for the city, Mr Premachandran said this would be completed in eight months' time.

With the completion of the HUDCO and DFID schemes, the drinking water problems faced by the residents of Kochi would be solved.

However, the authorities would take immedidate interim measures to provide 10 million litres of water per day to Kochi, he said.

The government was also discussing with JBIC of Japan for funding water supply schmes at five places in Kollam, Thiruvananthapuram, Kannur, Kozhikode and Alappuzha districts.

He said the Kerala Water Authority would also assist the Kochi Corporation to prepare a masterplan for water supply and sewerage, to be submitted to the Centre Government under the Jawaharlal Nehru Urban Renewal Mission.

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