The Tamil Nadu Water and Drainage Board (TWAD) has planned to execute an exclusive drinking water scheme for Thuraiyur municipal limits to tide over the acute drinking water shortage in the town.
The existing combined water scheme was formulated and commissioned in 2002. It was designed to supply 3.12 million litres a day (MLD) to Thuraiyur municipality and 98 village panchayats and four town panchayats including Uppiliapuram, Mettupalayam and Thathaiyangarpettai. TWAD supplies water from a pumping station at Ayyampalayam near Musiri in Tiruchi district.
Though the targetted people received the stipulated water supply in the initial stages, problems began to crop up about five years after the inception. The yield at the Collector’s well at Ayyampalayam was said to have depleted drastically due to indiscriminate sand mining. As the population grew up at a rapid pace, TWAD could not supply the intended water supply to residents of Thuraiyur.
Similarly, the other beneficiaries of the combined water supply scheme also suffered with insufficient water supply. The residents, who were supplied water daily in the initial years, now receive water supply once in five to six days.
Since the issue tormented the residents, they started demanding an exclusive water supply scheme for Thuraiyur. Thuaiyur MLA Stalin Kumar took up the issue with Chief Minister M.K. Stalin and Minister for Municipal Administration K.N. Nehru. Considering the demand of the MLA and the residents, Mr. Stalin announced at a function held here on Thursday that a separate drinking water scheme would be implemented for Thuraiyur.
Though the scheme is at the investigation stage, it is expected that it might cost more than ₹100 crore. The exact estimate for the scheme and other features will be known after preparation of the Detailed Project Report.
Sources in TWAD said that a separate collector well would be set up on the banks of the Cauvery at Ayyampalayam near Musiri for the new scheme. It would have a capacity of supplying 54 MLD. According to a rough estimate, there were about 40,000 people residing in Thuraiyur municipality. The entire population would be benefited. It would be designed to supply 135 litres of water daily to each resident.
The sources added that pumping mains would have to be laid for 29 km from the pumping station. The existing distribution lines and service reservoirs in Thuraiyur would be used depending upon the quality of the pipes. New pipelines and service reservoirs would be built in the extended and newly added areas of Thuraiyur municipality.
An official said the existing Collector’s well and two infiltration wells yielded 26 MLD a day. It would be used to supply water to 98 wayside village panchayats and four town panchayats. Once the Thuraiyur municipality was delinked from the combined water supply scheme, the entire yield would be diverted to other beneficiaries. It was sufficient to meet the drinking water requirement of them.
