Houses flooded, vehicles swept away after Kerala Water Authority tank bursts in Kochi

Kochi: Several houses were inundated and vehicles swept away early Monday after a Kerala Water Authority (KWA) feeder tank partially collapsed at Thammanam in Kochi, officials said.

The incident took place between 2 am and 2:30 am, when the wall of one chamber of the KWA feeder pump house tank gave way. The tank, consisting of two chambers with a total storage capacity of 1.38 crore litres, supplies water to Kochi city and Tripunithura.

The massive outflow of water breached the compound wall of the pump house and rushed into nearby residential areas, flooding around 10 houses.

Ernakulam MLA TJ Vinod said several vehicles parked in the locality were washed away, while electronic appliances and furniture on the ground floors of affected houses were damaged. The floodwater also entered a nearby health centre, damaging medicines and medical equipment.

“The tank was built more than 50 years ago, and the damaged chamber was responsible for water supply to Kochi city,” Vinod said, urging officials to examine the structural stability of old KWA facilities.

Residents said they realised what had happened only when water began entering their homes. Compound walls of at least three houses were destroyed in the deluge.

Thrikakkara MLA Uma Thomas, who also visited the site, called on the Kerala Water Authority to provide immediate compensation to residents who suffered property loss.

KWA officials said temporary measures are being put in place to ensure uninterrupted water supply to Kochi and neighbouring areas while repair work is undertaken.

(with inputs from agencies)