Kochi water supply gets 10 MLD boost as shipyard seals ₹1,800-crore Dubai deal

Kochi is in line for a significant infrastructure overhaul, with major upgrades to both its drinking water supply and its maritime industry announced this week.

On the environmental front, the Kerala Water Authority (KWA) has finalised a ₹27.36 crore contract to upgrade its ageing 225 million-litres-a-day (MLD) water treatment plant in Aluva. The project will deliver an extra 10 MLD of treated water to Kochi and its surrounding areas, offering much-needed relief to a region plagued by chronic shortages.

At the same time, the city’s maritime sector is preparing for a global partnership. Cochin Shipyard has approved a 50:50 joint venture with Dubai’s Drydocks World to run its flagship International Ship Repair Facility (ISRF) on Willingdon Island, in a deal valued at no less than ₹1,800 crore.

Upgrading the Aluva plant

For over two decades, the Aluva water treatment plant has relied on the same motor pump sets. Over time, wear and tear has severely degraded their performance, leaving them unable to reach their rated capacity of 55 to 60 MLD each.

Under the newly signed agreement, the KWA will replace three active pumps along with their standby units. It is not an overnight fix. Officials estimate it will take six months just to design, approve, and receive the new machinery. Once the equipment arrives, installing each pump will take between 10 and 15 days of precision engineering.

However, KWA sources say the work will not disrupt the city's current supply, as standby pumps will keep running throughout the transition. The project also includes upgrading high-tension electrical cabling and repairing the plant’s access road.

Once operational, the new pumps will increase the discharge of each unit by three to four MLD, bringing an additional 10 MLD to Kochi and nearby panchayats.

While the boost is welcome, local representatives warn that it only scratches the surface of the city's water woes. Ernakulam MLA T.J. Vinod pointed out that Kochi faces a daily deficit of roughly 50 MLD.

"The additional 10 MLD will provide some relief," Vinod said, but argued that a permanent solution requires building a new 190 MLD treatment plant alongside a new reservoir to replace the partially collapsed Thammanam water tank.

A ₹1,800-crore maritime partnership

Further south at Willingdon Island, Kochi’s shipping infrastructure is also transforming. Cochin Shipyard’s board has cleared a proposal to transfer its newly developed International Ship Repair Facility to a new private joint venture, split evenly with Drydocks World Dubai, a subsidiary of DP World.

The deal, structured as a slump sale of a going concern, is valued at a minimum of ₹1,800 crore. Cochin Shipyard will receive half of this amount in cash and the other half as equity in the new joint venture.

The ISRF is a major asset. Spread across 30 hectares, it was built for ₹970 crore and began commercial operations in August 2024. It features a 6,000-tonne ship lift, six workstations, and 1,400 metres of berthing space, allowing it to service up to six vessels simultaneously. In the 2025–26 financial year, the facility brought in ₹207.33 crore, representing nearly five per cent of Cochin Shipyard’s total operating revenue.

The joint venture plans to scale up operations quickly, adding 10 new workstations to expand its capacity for dry-docking and repairing commercial and naval ships up to 130 metres long.

The partnership aims to combine Cochin Shipyard's local footprint with the Dubai firm’s global experience. Drydocks World operates the largest ship repair yard in the Middle East and manages more than 300 marine projects every year.

The formal joint venture agreement is scheduled to be signed on September 11, though the transition still requires clearance from the Cochin Port Authority, the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, and the Department of Investment and Public Asset Management. Cochin Shipyard expects the joint venture to be fully operational before the end of the current financial year.