Overhead tanks are being constructed at 10 places in the city for the ₹1,295.76-crore Mullaperiyar drinking water project.
The project, being executed under Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation, presently has four components. In the first component, a 96-km-long pipeline will be laid to transport water from Lower Camp to Pannaipatti. Construction of a water treatment plant with a capacity of 125 MLD at Pannaipatti forms the second component. In the third component, a 54-km-long pipeline will be laid from Pannaipatti to Madurai city. Construction of 38 overhead tanks forms part of this component.
Establishment of a new water distribution system in 28 wards that were annexed to Madurai Corporation in 2011 is the fourth component. The Corporation has also submitted a proposal to Asian Development Bank for an additional component where a new water distribution system for 57 old wards will be established. “The Corporation is laying new drinking water pipelines in the remaining 15 wards around Meenakshi Sundareswarar Temple through a separate project under the Smart Cities Mission. The completion of these components will ensure round-the-clock drinking water supply to the residents,” said City Engineer S. Arasu.
A senior Corporation official said the overhead tanks were being constructed at Tirunagar, Tirupparankundram, Palanganatham, Tiruppalai, Mattuthavani, Kochadai, TVS Nagar, near the Madurai Bench of Madras High Court, Vellaikkal and MMC Colony. “The work started a month back. Construction of the remaining OHTs will be taken up in the next phase,” he said.
Mostly in new wards
Most of these OHTs would be constructed at the newly added wards. The capacity of the tanks would be different from one another, the maximum being 30 lakh litres, the official said.
Mr. Arasu said all the components of the drinking water project, right from drawing water from Lower Camp to the distribution of drinking water to the households, would be monitored through SCADA, an advanced supervisory and management system.
A centralised control room would be constructed and a dedicated team will monitor it. “The two existing water treatment plants at Pannaipatti will also be connected to the system. So, if there is any issue, say with an overhead tank, the problem can be immediately identified and addressed,” he said.
Currently, only 10 old OHTs are functional in the city. More than 20 OHTs are defunct. “All these tanks will be repaired and integrated with the SCADA system,” said Mr. Arasu.
