The new drinking water scheme for the five wards of the Tiruchi Corporation is dragging on for more than seven years.
The construction works for the project, which is aimed at supplying 135 litres of drinking water per head to the residents of 61 to 65 wards in Tiruverumbur, Kattur and adjoining areas, began in 2016 at an estimate of ₹ 63.70 crore.
While construction of water tanks and laying of mains and branch pipes have been completed, construction of a pumping station on the banks of the Cauvery near Melur is still dragging on.
To facilitate early completion of work, the Corporation included the entire work of building a pumping station in a separate package of the project. Besides erecting a collector well, a footbridge was to be built to bear the pumping main across the Cauvery river from the pump house up to Kambarasampettai. From there the water would will be carried to Kattur and Tiruverumbur areas through the mains.
The Corporation chose a place on the riverbed near Melur in Srirangam to build a pumping station. But the pumping station package suffered several hurdles since its formulation. The corporation had to hold several rounds of talks with the farmers of Melur, who opposed the move to tap water from the Cauvery, to convince them. They objected that it would deprive them of water for farming operations. The delay over getting the mandatory clearance from the Public Works Department also played its part.
For the early completion of work, it requires no water flow in the Cauvery for about six months. When the contractor was about to start the work in May-June 2020, water was released from the Mettur from June 12. Similar was the scenario in 2021 and 2022 as well. Construction works were resumed in February after the closure of the Mettur dam. By the time the works picked up momentum, the Mettur dam was once again opened on June 12 this year.
However, the civic body managed to continue the sinking of collector well and the pipe bearing bridge work due to reduction in quantum of water being released from the Mettur dam. But the work is progressing at snail’s pace, sources said.
A contractor, who was supposed to lay the pumping mains on the pipe bearing bridge, was relieved. A senior official told The Hindu that the pipe bearing was almost done and it had actually helped the workers to transport materials to the site of the pumping station even when there was a flow of water in the river. Sinking of the collector well and positioning of the radial arm at the source point would take three to four months. The work would be completed within February 2024, he assured.
