The Hindu : Front Page : Hogenakkal drinking project likely to take off

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Dec 21, 2005

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Front Page

Hogenakkal drinking project likely to take off

Staff Reporter

To provide `protected' water to the combined Dharmapuri district

Dharmapuri: Finally there seems to be light at the end of the tunnel for the decade-old Hogenakkal Drinking Water and Sanitation project. The project was proposed to provide `protected drinking' water to the combined Dharmapuri district mainly due to the detection of fluoride-contaminated water in many parts.

The project is being actively pursued by the Tamil Nadu Government with the Ministry of Rural Development and is under the consideration of the Government of India, according to highly placed sources in the district administration.

According to TWAD sources, "the per capita water supply proposed was 90 litres per capita day (lpcd) for the municipalities, 70 lpcd for the panchayats and 55 lpcd for the partially covered and fluoride-affected rural habitations and 21.50 lpcd for fully covered habitations. The target population to be benefited would be 2.75 million."

Initially the project was proposed to cover two-thirds of the combined district with Hosur to be included at a later stage due to the huge cost. The project was chalked out to cover 2 municipalities, 14 panchayats and 4,101 habitations in 13 panchayat unions at a cost of Rs.636.30 crores for a demand of 108 million litres a day.

The project was forwarded to the Centre for sanction from Japan but was shelved due to the Pokhran blasts. Subsequently the project was revised to cover Hosur municipality and its surrounding panchayats. The project cost rose to Rs.1,008 crores to be executed in 5 phases. The per capita expenditure of the scheme alone worked to be Rs.3, 416.

Clearance obtained

Barring the sanction of funds all other clearances have been obtained from the Department of Forests, Water Utilisation Committee and Power Supply, says a senior official.

Subsequently a detailed project was prepared at Rs.1,085 crores with Rs.69.05 crores for annual maintenance alone. This included a sewerage scheme providing Low Cost Sanitation (LCS) to two unions and Underground Sewerage System (UGSS) for three municipalities. However it was decided to delimit UGSS for Dharmapuri municipality and LCS to Morapur and Pappireddipatti unions as UGSS for Dharmapuri would be taken up by TNUIFSL (Tamil Nadu Urban Infrastructure Services and Leasing Corporation) and LCS for the two unions would be covered under the Total Sanitation programme.

Finally the project was revised with the scope of providing water supply to three municipalities, 17 panchayats and 18 panchayat unions at an outlay of Rs.1,005 crores.

With Dharmapuri and Krishnagiri districts being identified as fluoride-endemic the residents are hoping for speedy implementation.

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