By Express News Service THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: With the city corporation making it mandatory that only the tankers registered with it shall be authorised to distribute water in the city from February 1, private water tanker operators have started registering their vehicles via the Smart Trivandrum mobile app. As many as 94 private tanker operators distributing drinking water and water for commercial purposes have already registered with the corporation. The project is being jointly implemented by the city corporation and Kerala Water Authority (KWA) and is aimed at regulating tanker water supply and ensuring the distribution of potable water. “We have been conducting regular inspections following complaints regarding the quality of water supplied in the city. Recently, we seized a tanker which was found to be collecting untreated water from a pond dug up near Thiruvallam. To curb such violations, only private water tankers which have been registered on the Trivandrum mobile app will be allowed to supply water in the city,” said I P Binu, chairman, Health Standing Committee of the city corporation. “All tanker operators who are found distributing water from unhygienic sources and charging high rates from the residents will be penalised. From collection to distribution by private water tanker operators, everything will be monitored through the control room set up in the corporation office. Complaints can be filed if violations are detected,” said Mayor K Sreekumar. The vehicles are being registered after a bylaw was passed by the corporation to monitor the functioning of the private tankers in the city. GPS tracking facility will be enabled in all water tankers. The water collected from the filling stations will be monitored through the control room and water samples collected from different parts of the city will be tested every three months. Tankers will also go through super chlorination to purify water. Water will be colour-coded for different purposes. For drinking water, the colour code will be blue and water for commercial establishments and construction places will be coded brown. The facility for registering vehicles can also be availed at various health circle offices, Akshaya centres and call centres at the corporation’s main office. Drinking water will be made available in all vending points of KWA. The water required for agriculture and industrial purposes can be collected either from the sewage treatment plant at Muttathara or the septage treatment plants. Tankers that have not registered before February 1 will be considered unauthorised and will be levied fines ranging from `25,000 to ` 50,000. registration The facility for registering vehicles can done via the Smart Trivandrum mobile app. It can also be availed at various health circle offices, Akshaya centres and call centres at the corporation’s main office. Drinking water will be made available in all vending points of KWA

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