For years, pilgrims visiting Sabarimala faced a significant challenge: a severe water shortage at Nilackal, the primary base camp. Thankfully, this long-standing issue is about to become a distant memory, thanks to the nearly completed Seethathodu–Nilackal drinking water project.
This ambitious project, costing an estimated ₹120 crore, is designed to provide a continuous, safe drinking water supply to the hundreds of thousands of devotees who throng Nilackal each pilgrimage season. Beyond the pilgrims, it will also significantly benefit residents in Seethathodu and parts of the Perunad grama panchayat.
Officials from the Kerala Water Authority (KWA) detailed the project’s key infrastructure, which includes a robust 13-million-litre capacity water treatment plant. To ensure efficient distribution, it features three booster pump houses, each capable of handling six lakh litres, along with three massive overhead storage tanks at Nilackal, each holding 20 lakh litres.
Jointly funded by NABARD and the Jal Jeevan Mission, the project has already seen successful preliminary testing. A trial run during the last pilgrimage season, utilizing a temporary five-lakh-litre tank, demonstrated its effectiveness. A senior KWA official confidently stated, “The project will be fully operational well before the next pilgrimage season commences.”
Initiated in 2016, the project’s core plan involves drawing water from the Kakkattar river, near Seethathodu. Significant progress has been made, with one 20-lakh-litre overhead tank and two booster pump houses at Thathakkamani and Plappally already finished. The construction of the two remaining 20-lakh-litre storage tanks, situated near the Goshala and the Palliyarakkavu temple, is now in its final phase.
Historically, Nilackal has grappled with severe drinking water shortages, especially during the crucial two-month Mandalam–Makaravilakku festival season. During this period, the base camp experiences a daily influx of thousands of pilgrims, driving water demand to over 1.2 million litres per day.
Until now, both the KWA and the Travancore Devaswom Board relied heavily on private contractors and a fleet of tanker lorries to meet this immense demand, a solution that proved both inefficient and costly.