Residents in some of the water scarce areas in the city can look forward to an improvement in drinking water supply in the coming days as Chief Minister Jayalalithaa formally commissioned the new drinking water improvement scheme for the city through videoconference from Chennai on Wednesday.
The project sanctioned at an initial estimate of Rs.221.42 crore was executed with financial assistance from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). However, all the seven packages of the project have been completed at an expenditure of Rs.177.71 crore.
With the commissioning of the scheme, the Tiruchirapalli City Corporation will step up the per capita drinking water supply to 135 litres a day and ensure equitable distribution to all parts of the city.
Work on the project, sanctioned in 2007, commenced in 2008-2009.
Reliable sourceThe new scheme has its source at the Coleroon River where huge collector wells have been built.
The corporation could initially pump up to 60 million litres a day (MLD) from the new scheme, which is designed to provide 93.26 MLD to the city in the ultimate stage by 2039.
The Corporation started pumping water from the new scheme to tide over the shortage during last summer.
Currently about 22 MLD is being pumped from the scheme and pumping would be stepped up based on the requirement.
Thirty-seven new overhead tanks have been built under the new scheme to ensure equitable distribution to all parts of the city. Pumping mains for a distance of 79 km and distribution mains for 355 km have been laid under the scheme. The Corporation is now supplying about 105 MLD to the city from pumping stations on the Cauvery and Coleroon rivers.
New connectionsAccording to Corporation sources, about one lakh new water connections could be provided with the additional water source available now.
The civic body would take a drive to provide the new connections over the next few months.
Officials also said that areas which were getting water only on alternative days in the city would get daily supply soon.
