Tiruchi to get supply from new water scheme by month-end
All the three collector wells on the Coleroon river and
the common sump of the Rs.221.42-crore new drinking water augmentation
scheme were energised on Thursday, paving the way for supply of water
from the scheme by this month end ahead of the peak summer season.
Describing
it as an important step forward in the project, corporation officials
said they were on course now to meet the assurance given earlier that
pumping of water from the scheme would begin by March 31.
There
has been some delay in getting the permanent power connections,
especially for the common sump on account of a litigation, causing some
anxiety among the civic officials over the past few days.
The
corporation had already started pumping water from the first collector
well of the scheme a couple of months ago to feed a few tanks in
Woraiyur, utilising a temporary power connection.
The
project, financed by Japan International Cooperation Agency, seeks to
step up the per capita drinking water supply to 135 litres a day and
ensure equitable distribution to all parts of the city. Work on the
project, sanctioned in 2007, commenced in 2008-2009 as it is being
executed under eight different packages.
Corporation sources told The Hindu that dry run of the motors would begin on Friday and trail run of pumping water would begin by Saturday.
The
trial run is expected to go on for about 15 to 20 days to check for
leakages and pressure levels on the new pumping lines laid for a stretch
of about 80 km.
“We are confident of commencing
supply from the three collector wells to about 29 new overhead tanks and
several other existing water tanks, especially those situated in areas
which are currently facing some short supply, by March 31,” Corporation
Commissioner V.P.Thandapani told The Hindu.
Distribution
mains have been laid for a stretch of about 330 km so far and have to
be laid for another 70 to 80 km. Of the 37 new overhead tanks to come up
under the project, 30 are ready and the remaining ones are under
construction.
The corporation would initially tap
about 60 million litres a day (MLD) from the new scheme. The new scheme
is designed to provide 93.26 MLD to the city in the ultimate stage in
2039, though civic officials said that the new water source for the city
has a potential to yield much quantum of water.
Currently,
the city gets about 96 MLD of water and the additional 60 MLD is
expected to tide over the short supply faced in some parts of the city
within such as Ariyamangalam and Mela Kalkandarkottai before the summer.
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