The Tamil Nadu government has allotted a sum of Rs.20 crore to Vellore for implementing various schemes to ease the drinking water scarcity in the district.
The situation has been caused owing to the failure of monsoon for seven consecutive years. Of this amount, the Vellore Corporation would get Rs. 5 crore and the rural areas of the district Rs.15 crore.
According to a release from R. Nanthagopal, Collector of Vellore, the state government has made the allotment based on the proposal sent by the district administration after getting the views of MLAs, panchayat union chairpersons and village panchayat presidents.
First phase
In the first phase, 454 works, for which the district administration has given sanction, would be taken up. They included drilling of 317 deep borewells to a depth of 700 to 1200 feet in 14 rural areas facing severe drinking water scarcity, deepening of 130 existing deep borewells where the water table has gone down to precariously low levels, deepening of seven open wells and extension of pipelines.
The continuous failure of monsoon for the last seven years has resulted in deficiency of rainfall.
During 2014, the district received 704.83 mm of rainfall as against the normal annual rainfall of 953.40 mm.
The situation is worse in the panchayat unions of Kandili, Natrampalli, Tirupattur, Jolarpet, Alangayam, K.V. Kuppam and Anaicut where the groundwater table has gone down below 1000 feet.
Sanctioned
The Collector said that steps had been taken to complete all the sanctioned drinking water works before April 15.
Vellore Corporation to get Rs. 5 crore, and rural areas Rs. 15 crore
