To recharge groundwater, civic body looks to maintaining two tanks

Corporation is unable to supply water to the residents daily

City Corporation plans to improve the storage level of Narayanapuram tank on Natham Road.

In order to augment drinking water supply within the City Corporation limits, Commissioner S. Visakan said that the local body is assessing the development and maintenance of Palanganatham and Narayanapuram tanks.

Currently, citizens receive 115 mld of water from Vaigai dam through two drinking water pipelines. Apart from this, 11 mld of water is supplied to added wards through the Cauvery Integrated Drinking Water Project. The Corporation also extracts 44 mld of water from the riverbed in areas like Melakkal and Tachampathu.

Despite the listed sources, the Corporation is unable to supply water daily to the residents. Most residents in the added wards receive water once in four days.

Under this backdrop, the corporation hopes to recharge the groundwater by developing and maintaining Palanganatham and Narayanapuram tanks. The tanks under the control of the Public Works Department are poorly maintained. While a citizen-led initiative attempted to clean the Narayanapuram tank on several occasion, its banks are still used for defecation.

As several households are yet to have underground drainage connections, sewage often flows into these waterbodies, says N. Ramani, a member of the Palanganatham Resident Welfare Association.

Corporation Commissioner S. Visakan said that though the main focus would be to quickly implement the ₹1,120 crore Mullaperiyar Drinking Water Project, the Corporation is looking to achieve self-sustenance in wards where there are ancient tanks.

The Corporation plants to improve the storage in both the Palanganatham and the Narayanapuram tanks in order to recharge groundwater in both the areas for a sum of ₹5 crore each under the Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) Scheme. The Corporation has engaged a consultant to assess the feasibility of improving storage and beautifying the two tanks.

“By improving the storage of the tanks, the Corporation will ensure that the groundwater in these areas are better. This way, the local body can use borewells for drawing water and later use lorries for its transportation,” he added.