In an attempt to overcome the drinking water short supply faced in some parts of the city served by the Pirattiyur Combined Drinking Water Supply Scheme, the Tiruchi Corporation has decided to delink five drinking water overhead tanks (OHTs) from the scheme and instead provide them supply from the new water scheme.
The five OHTs in the tail-end areas of the Pirattiyur scheme would get supply from the Rs.221.42 crore drinking water supply scheme, currently under execution in the city. The corporation has planned to lay new pumping mains from the Ponmalaipatti ground level sump (which is to be fed by the new scheme soon) to feed the five OHTs.
The move comes in the wave of repeated bursts and problems in filling up some of the 12 OHTs that gets supply from the water scheme. Although the city has to get about 4.5 million litres of water a day (MLD) from the Pirattiyur scheme, it was getting only about 3 MLD now. The scheme also caters to 18 wayside habitations outside the corporation limits and several new public fountains put up in the villages were affecting supply to the city.
In August , residents in Edamalaipattipudur, Ramji Nagar and a few other parts of the city resorted to agitations protesting disruptions in water supply to their areas. The problem could be overcome by de-linking the five OHTs, corporation sources said.
The Pirattiyur scheme would continue to feed OHTs in the city limits up to Edamalaipattipudur. Water from the new scheme would be pumped through the new mains that are to be laid to feed the OHTs at Subramania Nagar, K.K.Nagar, Thendral Nagar and those in a couple of other places, the sources said.
The corporation had previously planned to take over the scheme that is currently maintained and operated by the Tamil Nadu Water Supply and Drainage (TWAD) Board.
Ongoing scheme
The civic body had proposed to take over the scheme with a financial allocation from the ongoing drinking water supply augmentation scheme, funded by the Japan International Cooperation Agency through the Tamil Nadu Urban Infrastructure Financial Services Limited (TNUIFSL).
However, during a recent review by TNUIFSL it was felt that even if the corporation were to take over the scheme by de-linking the wayside villages, problems would still persist in filling up the OHTs in tail-end areas in the city.
The WAPCOS, the consultant for the new drinking water augmentation scheme, was asked to conduct a study on the issue.
The consultant after a study had reported that new pumping mains could be laid from the Ponmalaipatti sump to feed five OHTs in the tail-end areas separately. The project was estimated to entail an investment of Rs.58 lakhs.
The Corporation has now accepted the proposal instead of taking over the Pirattiyur Scheme by paying the TWAD Board about Rs.1.08 crore.
