A day in the Arasaradi pumping station begins at 4 a.m. for workers. Lorries line up near long hydrants and wait for valves to open so that thousands of litres of water can gush into the tanks. Water tanker drivers scoot off to their stipulated wards or areas where there is shortage. This cycle repeats till 8 p.m. but activity at thepumping station does not stop here. It behaves like a heart and its pipeline — the arteries —, always ensuring that there is water supply.
M. Ilangovan, former Chief Engineer, Tamil Nadu Water Supply and Drainage (TWAD) Board, says that the station is an indispensable part of water supply chain as it delivers water to the city, particularly the 72 old wards.
“Arasaradi is the first collection point for water that comes from the Vaigai and is seminal to water supply operations in the city because of its location,” he says.
Arasaradi pumping station was established on August 8, 1963, after the headworks (a structure at the head or diversion point of a waterway) in Arapalayam area (established in 1892) dried out. A Corporation Engineer working at Arasaradi says that excessive contamination of Arapalayam headworks (after it became part of the city) led to its closure.
When the Corporation had only 58 wards, water would reach the pumping station from Vaigai’s riverbed — from Kochadai, Melakkal and Manalur. Water was harvested from infiltration wells that work well only when there is flow in the river. The Kochadai well, which supplied 40 mld (million litres per day), dried out by 1983. Melakkal and Manalur, which supply 16 mld and 9 mld, continue to supply water to Madurai.
During summer, the total yield drops from 25 mld to 15 mld. “During the drought last year, no water was drawn from these areas,” adds the engineer.
With introduction of the first phase of the Vaigai Water Supply Scheme in 1995, things smoothed out. The first pipeline from Vaigai dam was established to provide 68 mld of water to the head pumping station. There was enough water for expanded Madurai, which, by then, had 72 wards.
The second pipeline from the river, which was commissioned in 2009, saw an additional 47 mld of water being sent to the pumping station to cater to a growing population that had crossed 12 lakh.
As areas like Tirupparankundram and Harveypatti were also added to the Corporation, 7 mld of water from nearby areas like Kuruvithurai helped in dealing with the water crunch.
Currently, Madurai Corporation receives 152 mld of water each day and supplies to 72 wards through pipelines and tankers. It also has 1928 borewells as additional sources.
However, officials do not have clarity over the exact number of working borewells. Every day 152 mld of water reaches Arasaradi pumping station, which has not stopped working, except for maintenance.
“Major leaks develop two or three times in a year and they require fixing. To ensure that it is operational without fault, we shut down the pumping station on those days. Even 15-20 days back, there was a problem in Mannadaimangalam that was fixed,” said a senior engineer of the Corporation.
With administrative sanction and approval from the State government, the Corporation is set to welcome its newest project — a dedicated water supply scheme from Mullai Periyar River at Lower Camp to Madurai at an estimated cost of ₹1140 crore. The city will have 240 mld of water each day to ensure that there is continuous supply.
To ensure water availability even during lean months, Commissioner S. Aneesh Sekhar has advised residents to maintain rainwater harvesting structures and also recharge groundwater through pits.
