The district administration, which commenced pre-summer drinking water augmentation exercise on an outlay of ₹38.43 crore in February last in a bid to ensure adequate drinking water supply to rural habitations during summer, has completed 528 of the 689 works.
As the harsh summer would have adverse impact on drinking water supply between April and September, the district administration had launched drinking water augmentation programme by selecting 689 works across the district. The work includes sinking of new borewells, replacing damaged pipes and laying of new pipelines to carry water from new borewells, rehabilitating / deepening of existing borewells, construction of ground-level sumps to pump water from the deep borewells, digging open wells, deepening of wells, fitting of more powerful pumps to draw more water etc.
When Collector Shilpa Prabhakar Satish chaired a meeting in May-end to review the progress made in water augmentation programme, she instructed the officials to complete the work by mid-June. Though the works were expedited, 161 more works are yet to be completed as 528 works alone have been commissioned.
Ms. Shilpa informed that 56.12 million litres of drinking water, drawn from local sources like 4,346 deep borewells, 4,395 small power pumps and 96 open wells was being supplied through 1,363 ground-level sumps, and 3,410 overhead tanks to the rural population.
On the other hand, the TWAD Board, which is operating 26 combined drinking water schemes through the infiltration wells sunk in the Tamirabharani and in other riverbeds, is supplying 61.75 million litres a day to 2,038 hamlets under 388 village panchayats against the actual target of 66.08 million litres a day.
“The work to refresh the existing drinking water schemes is likely to augment the supply and we’re hopeful of achieving the target,” Ms. Shilpa said.
Apart from this, the TWAD Board is operating 29 more combined drinking water schemes, meant for five municipalities and 30 town panchayats in the district to supply 59 million litres a day to 10.18 lakh people. “Though this is lesser than the actual target of 73 million litres a day, the increased flow of water in the Tamirabharani, the prime drinking water source, after the southwest monsoon becomes active, will increase the supply,” she hoped.
The remaining two municipalities and six town panchayats, all having their own drinking water supply system as they are advantageously situated closer to the river, are supplying drinking water everyday to the residents.
Monitoring Officer for the district Rajendrakumar, who recently inspected the drinking water supply network here, said the Tirunelveli Corporation is supplying 48 million litres a day to the residents. “While 40 of the 55 wards in the Corporation are getting drinking water everyday, the remaining 15 wards are getting it on turn basis,” Mr. Rajendrakumar said.
“Though there is no drinking water scarcity in the district, the officials have been instructed to sort-out drinking water supply-related issues then and there by taking appropriate action. The ongoing drinking water programmes have been expedited so that the residents will get sufficient quantity even during summer,” he noted.
