The Dindigul Corporation plans to construct overhead tanks in four places and replace the five-decade-old pipeline to facilitate drinking water supply daily or once in two days from the present practice of once in eight days.
Overhead tanks will be constructed behind Kudaganar guest house, KMS Nagar in Bharathipuram, Saveriyarpalayam and behind the Corporation Office. An additional 16-MLD capacity treatment plant will be established at Athoor dam site and a 5.8-km-long feeder line will also be formed. A booster station will come up near the pumping station at Rockfort.
Addressing a meeting with the public here to elicit their opinion on the proposal on Wednesday, Mayor V. Marudha Raj said the corporation would be divided into 16 zones and sufficient storage facility created at vantage points to streamline distribution. New 600 mm iron pipes would be laid to a distance of 19 km to draw water from Athoor dam. The 50-year-old distribution pipeline would be replaced over a distance of 229 km in 48 wards.
On completion of the project, the corporation would provide 30,000 new connections. The objective of the scheme was, he said, to ensure uniform supply to all 48 wards.
Reacting to DMK councillor Vijaya Kumar’s question whether existing water sources – the Cauvery and Athoor dam – were sufficient to meet the growing demand, the Mayor said additional storage in Athoor dam would help in meeting future demand too. The present water requirement was 27 MLD and total requirement in 2045 would be around 37 MLD. To improve sources, an additional dam would be constructed near Athoor dam at an estimated cost of Rs. 20 crore.
Municipal officials said the project implementation period would be two years but the corporation planned to execute it within 18 months.
The State government had granted administrative sanction for the project on May 14, 2014 at an estimated cost of Rs. 70.5 crore and it would be implemented with Japanese aid.
