Chief Minister Jayalalithaa on Tuesday announced an allocation of over Rs. 2,200 crore for drinking water, road facilities and street lights in the city.
The allocation includes funds for two new desalination plants. One will come up in Nemmeli (where a plant already exists) with a capacity of 150 million litres per day (mld) and another in Pattipulam with a capacity of 200 mld, which could be increased to 400 mld in the future. Both these plants will be on the East Coast Road.
Chennai Metrowater is already preparing a detailed project report for the plant in Pattipulam, which will be only a few kilometres away from the facility in Nemmeli.
Making a suo motu statement in the Assembly, the Chief Minister said the plant in Nemmeli would cost Rs. 1,000 crore and would come up on a 10.5 acre plot of vacant land, near the existing desalination plant.
This plant will take care of the drinking water requirements of the extended areas of south Chennai. A total of 6.46 lakh people in Alandur, Perungudi, Kottivakkam, Puzhuthivakkam, Pallikaranai, Madipakkam, Sholinganallur, Karapakkam, Neelankarai, Injambakkam, Semmencherry, Uthandi and Okkiyam-Thoraipakkam will benefit from the scheme.
The desalination plant in Pattipulam will be completed in four years, she said.
Direct to home
The Chief Minister also unveiled a Rs. 303.78 crore drinking water scheme under the Chennai Metropolitan Development Plan, for the current year. This scheme will ensure that water reaches homes directly through taps in 14 areas and will benefit 3.47 lakh people. The areas included in the scheme are: Idayanchavadi, Chadayankuppam, Kadapakkam, Manali, Soorapattu, Chinnasekkadu, Mugalivakkam, Perungudi and Palavakkam.
A similar scheme is already being implemented in nine areas at a cost of Rs. 192.3 crore.
Sewerage system
Yet another project was announced for local bodies that have been recently added to the city limits. This Rs. 121 crore sewerage project will benefit 80,000 people in Kathirvedu, Surapet, Nolambur and Mugalivakkam.
Ms. Jayalalithaa said electric streetlights would also be installed in these extended areas. At total of 1,10,000 lights would be installed at a cost of Rs. 300 crore.
Integrated roads
Pointing out that integrated road facilities had been provided to the recently-added areas, the Chief Minister said in 2013-14, integrated roads would be laid spanning 225 km. The project cost is Rs. 290 crore.
These integrated roads would have stormwater drainages, street lights, footpaths, and ducts for various services.
She said in 2011-12 the government had spent Rs. 333.27 crore to lay integrated roads covering 175.36 km. This was followed by a Rs. 253 crore project in 2012-13. This covered 122 km along interior roads.
Graphic box:
The city and its water
No. of water connections: 7,35,608
Present water supply to city: 831 mld
Present water requirement in city 1,190 mld
By 2030, city's water requirement will be: 1,552 mld
New Nemmeli plant is the fourth to come up for expanded city
Will benefit 6.46 lakh residents in southern suburbs
