The Tamil Nadu Water Supply and Drainage (TWAD) Board has prepared a detailed project report for an underground sewerage scheme (UGSS) for the omitted areas in Srirangam and Thiruvanaikoval in the city.
The project would form the phase I of the UGSS proposed for the omitted areas in Tiruchi city. The TWAD Board was engaged in preparing detailed project reports (DPRs) for extending underground sewer network to all omitted areas in the city. The project is to be taken up in three phases. About 60 TWAD Board engineers have been deputed to prepare the DPRs and work was underway on preparing the DPRs for the other two phases.
Phase I of the scheme would be executed to cover the omitted areas in Srirangam and Thiruvanaikovil at an estimated cost of Rs.24 crore. Under this phase, residential colonies spread over a radius of 10.53 square kilometres in Srirangam and Thiruvanaikovil areas would be brought under the sewer network. The project would benefit a population of 31,145 in the base year of 2014; 41,924 in the intermediate stage in 2029 and 56,405 in the ultimate stage by 2044. About 5.66 million litres a day of sewage are expected to be generated in these areas by 2029 and 7.61 MLD by 2044.
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The project would address one of the major shortcomings of the existing underground sewer system in Srirangam by covering the Uthira and Chithra Veedhis around the famous Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple. These streets have been uncovered by the underground sewer network all these years. Provision of sewer system was one of the major demands of residents of these areas placed before Chief Minister Jayalalithaa on her election from the Srirangam constituency.
TWAD Board officials, led by S.Navaneethan, Executive Engineer, Project Formulation, TWAD Board, Thanjavur, made a power point presentation on the project before Corporation officials and elected representatives from Srirangam zone on Thursday. Corporation Commissioner T.T.Balsamy said the meeting was intended to elicit the views of the elected representatives and ensure that no area was left uncovered from the scheme.
According to TWAD officials, special provisions have been incorporated to provide the underground sewer line in Adayavalanchan, Chithra and Uthira Veedhis as the network has to run across narrow strips of land between the rear side of houses and the ramparts of the temple. Since the ramparts of the temple were in a precarious condition in many places, adequate care would be taken in consultation with the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Department to ensure that the structure was not disturbed in any manner. Junction boxes would be provided in each house to ensure that the rampart was not affected. Similar arrangements would be made for providing the sewer system in the inner streets around the Sri Jambukeswarar Akilandeswari Temple in Thiruvanaikovil.
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D.Rajendran, Assistant Vice President, Tamil Nadu Urban Development Project, through which funds for the project would be routed, also attended the meeting. He suggested certain design improvements in the sewer lines for Chithira/Uthira veedhis in order to minimise maintenance.
The new sewer lines would be connected to the existing underground drainage network in the city and the sewage would be pumped to the Corporation sewage treatment farm at Panchapur off the Tiruchi-Madurai National Highway. O.R.Sriraman, CPI councillor, urged the officials to explore the feasibility of collecting and treating the sewage locally in each zone. Mr.Balsamy said such a provision could be incorporated in the scheme to meet future requirements.
Mayor S.Sujatha, former Srirangam MLA M.Paranjothi, City Engineer S.Raja Mohamed, and Executive Engineers R.Chandran and S.Arunachalam attended the meeting.