Madurai
Regular cleaning of overhead tanks (OHT) and uninterrupted drinking water supply to residents were among the topics discussed by Madurai Corporation officials at a meeting chaired by the City Engineer S. Arasu here on Tuesday.
The City Engineer said that the officials had been instructed to ensure that drinking water was supplied to all residents regularly to prevent any possible crowding of residents in the wake of the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic.
He said that all workers were instructed to ensure that personal distancing was adhered to by residents while supplying water through tankers.
He said that with a comfortable storage level at the Vaigai dam, there would be sufficient water to ensure regular supply of drinking water till October. “This was concluded after the inclusion of 216 million cubic feet of water that is usually released during Chithirai festival,” he said.
A senior Corporation official said that the civic body supplies around 135 million litres a day (mld) of water for around 15 lakh residents in the city.
The Corporation draws 115 mld from Vaigai dam, which is supplied through two drinking water pipelines. The city receives around 10 mld from Cauvery Integrated Drinking Water Scheme and 10 mld from riverbed sources.
However, the water drawn out of riverbed sources had been reduced with the advent of summer season, said a senior Corporation official. “This is being compensated by sourcing out water from borewells sunk by the civic body using a special drought relief fund,” said the official.
The official also added that a separate proposal with an estimate of ₹ 8 crore was prepared and would be sent for approval under the special drought relief fund of the government, after the end of lockdown period.
