When the then Chief Minister M Karunanidhi inaugurated the ‘Combined Cauvery water drinking water supply scheme’ in June 2009, he had not only fulfilled the long-felt desire of the people, but had also ensured a sustainable drinking water supply scheme for the drought-prone district.
Seven years down the line, the scheme has come to the rescue of the district administration to cater to the drinking water needs of the majority of the populace when the district faced one of the worst drought situations following the failure of north east monsoon during 2015.
“The scheme helps to meet the drinking water needs of more than 70 per cent of the 429 panchayats in the district,” the source said adding as there has been drastic fall in drawing of Cauvery water from Tiruchi, the district administration has written to the government to arrange for the ‘wetting of the sources’ after releasing water from Mettur dam.
The scheme was envisaged to draw 48 MLD (Million Litre a day) but the Tamil Nadu Water Supply and Drainage (TWAD) Board was drawing only 25 MLD now, the sources said. Water available in the sources in Tiruchi would last for a month and there would be no problem in the water supply for another three months if the wetting was done, they said.
Meanwhile, the district administration also managed the drinking water needs with combined water supply scheme, implemented by the TWAD board through eight schemes in 33 locations in the district.
The district administration has sought an immediate assistance of Rs. 4.7 crore from the State government to tide over the crisis and augment drinking water in many villages.
Collector S. Natarajan has written to the Commissioner of Revenue Administration (CRA), seeking an assistance of Rs. 3.86 crore to augment drinking water needs in local bodies and Rs. 91.9 lakh to enhance the combined water supply scheme.
The district administration has identified 78 villages, facing acute drinking water crisis and proposed to dig bore wells at 88 locations, increase the efficiencies of existing bore wells and replace the pipelines, they added.
