Tamil Nadu has identified 14 ‘very large’ drinking water projects to be completed at a cost of ₹21,050 crore and work is on to implement them, S.P. Velumani, Local Administration Minister, said on Monday.
He said the projects were being implemented to ensure that all inhabitants of the State get drinking water 24x7 under the ‘Vision 2023’ project. Mr. Velumani was speaking at the inauguration of a workshop on project implementation in the water sector as part of ‘Vision 2023.’ The Minister said Tamil Nadu was the only State in India where safe drinking water was being provided to 99.11% of rural areas through piped supply.
Steps were being undertaken to set up a 150 MLD and a 400 MLD desalination plant at Nemilli to provide drinking water to Chennai.
He also released a book on ‘Details of chlorination in water supply schemes in 11 municipal corporation and 124 municipalities’
“We have launched a study through the Tamil Nadu Water Investment Company, so that we could reuse waste water for various purposes,” Harmander Singh, principal secretary, Municipal Administration and Watery Supplies Department, said.
Later, Mr. Velumani told journalists there was enough water to meet the requirements of Chennai during the summer. “We have water till December through all water sources, by which time the monsoon would have already arrived. We are also expediting the work on the 400 MLD desalination plant,” Mr. Velumani added.
