Kerala Water Authority (KWA) will set up a new tank with combined capacity of 50 lakh litres at Thammanam to address drinking water shortage in Kochi following partial collapse of 1.35-crore-litre water tank last year.

New tank will replace earlier proposal of 35 lakh-litre tank. Design comprises Ground Level Reservoir and Overhead Service Reservoir, each with 25 lakh litre capacity.

Estimated project cost: 31 crore. Project included in Asian Development Bank (ADB) refurbishment project, expected completion in 9 months.

Ruptured compartment held 68 lakh litres. KWA cited space constraints preventing larger capacity. Water utility owns land at Thammanam where tank will be constructed.

Project has administrative sanction and design approval. Tendering process yet to be carried out.

Collapse of Thammanam tank last year affected water supply to several Kochi areas.

Thammanam-Pullepady road development proposed as a third corridor connecting MG Road and NH 66 has been delayed for around 30 years. Project was initiated by Kochi corporation and handed over to public works department in 2017. Revenue department has not yet issued notification 12(1) under Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013. Causes of delay include ego clashes between governments, alignment changes, resident complaints, and disagreement on compensation. In 2020, corporation completed widening from Kathrikadavu junction to Karanakodam bridge. KIIFB has earmarked ₹1,500 crore for the project. Expert committee member and Pullepady councillor Sudha Dileepkumar expects work to begin by January. Landowners report that local issues lack sufficient discussion and action. Road passes through three or four corporation divisions and would ease traffic congestion and benefit MG Road business establishments.

A Kerala Water Authority drinking water storage tank with a capacity of 1.35 crore litres collapsed in Thammanam, Kochi, in the early hours of Monday, November 10, 2025, around 2:30 a.m., causing massive flooding. Water gushed into nearby houses along Kulathingal Bava Road and surrounding areas, affecting more than 20 residences. The tank was over four decades old. Residents reported tremor-like jolts as the incident occurred. Property damage included: refrigerator, washing machine, inverter, furniture, computers (one valued at ₹1 lakh), motorcycles, and an autorickshaw recently serviced for ₹12,000 for a fitness test. A compound wall adjacent to the tank collapsed and was washed away. A car parked outside was partially crushed under debris. Urban Family Healthcare Centre at Kuthapady suffered damage worth ₹4-5 lakh in medicines, equipment, and facilities. Residents reported difficulty opening doors due to water pressure and experiencing electric shocks from soaked electrical cords.

A portion of a feeder tank at the Kerala Water Authority pump house collapsed between 2 am and 2.30 am on Monday at Thammanam. The tank has two chambers with total capacity of 1.38 crore litres. The wall of one chamber collapsed, breaching the compound wall and flooding about 10 nearby houses. Vehicles were swept away. Electronic gadgets and furniture on ground floors were damaged. Water entered a nearby health centre, destroying medicines and equipment. Compound walls of three houses were damaged. The tank, built over 50 years ago, supplies water to Kochi city and Tripunithura. The damaged chamber stored water for Kochi city. Ernakulam MLA T J Vinod said residents were unaware of the collapse until water entered their homes. Thrikakkara MLA Uma Thomas urged KWA to provide compensation for property losses. KWA officials said alternative arrangements would ensure uninterrupted water supply.

Public Works Minister P K Basheer announced ₹100 crore in administrative sanction and technical approval for the 3.6-km Thammanam-Pullepady road; ₹93.89 crore is allocated through KIIFB. The road will connect Padma Junction on MG Road with Thammanam/Chakkaraparambu on the national highway and is intended to ease Kochi traffic congestion.

The project has been delayed for nearly three decades. Land acquisition began in 1998: 102.41 acres were voluntarily surrendered by 83 landowners, and a further 111.41 acres were acquired using ₹25 crore during former chief minister Oommen Chandy’s tenure. Around nine acres across 212 survey numbers, involving nearly 500 stakeholders, remain to be acquired.

The project was included under KIIFB in 2016-17. KRFB took it over and marked the alignment and boundary stones, but RTK digital surveys remain incomplete, delaying valuation and acquisition. A preliminary acquisition notification is being prepared, and revenue officers are to be appointed through the district collector. Local stakeholders have also sought repairs to the road’s entry and exit points.