The government of Kerala has set March 2020 as the deadline for Muvattupuzha valley irrigation project (MVIP). The work on the project began in 1974 with an estimated cost of Rs 20.86 crore.

With persistent delays hitting the project, the cost of the project escalated to Rs 988.97 crore which remains partially commissioned. The Planning Board has approved an allocation of Rs 50 crore for completing all pending works and commissioning the project by March 2020.

As much as 95 percent of the work is over. The remaining work pertains largely to two of the project’s distributories which are yet to be completed. Of this, the Edayar distributary will be completed in 2019.

Of the six reaches of the Karikkode distributary, the first and fourth have been completed. Revised estimates are pending with the government for the second and fifth.

Construction of two bridges is pending on the Piravom distributary, which is otherwise functional. Utilising the tailrace water from the Idukki hydel project, the MVIP covers a culturable command area of 18,173 ha spread over Ernakulam and Idukki districts.