The Hindu             06.06.2012

Water treatment plant in Red Hills to get a new lease of life

Residents of northern and western parts of the city may soon have better access to drinking water. The water treatment plant in Red Hills, from where many parts of Chennai are supplied and in dire need of repair, is all set to be revamped.

After 16 years of its inception, the plant that has a capacity to treat 300 million litres a day (mld) would undergo a revamp. Chennai Metrowater has awarded the contract to VA Tech Wabag, which is currently constructing the desalination plant at Nemmeli on East Coast Road for the water agency, to take up the project.

Rs. 10 crore alloted

It has allocated Rs.10 crore towards the overhauling of the plant. Sources in the VA Tech Wabag said that besides replacing the mechanical and electrical equipments that have worn out over the years, the filter bed and the facility that carries raw water drawn from the Red Hills reservoir to the plant would also be revamped.

“We are able to treat and transport only 150-200 mld because of the damages in the various units of the plant. Once the improvement works are completed by February next year, we will be able to operate the plant to its full capacity,” the sources said.

VA Tech Wabag would also continue to operate and maintain for the next five years. It has been operating the facility for the past one decade. Sources in Metrowater said that the volume of water transported through pipeline has to be treated again at the Kilpauk Water Works to ensure quality. The treated water is supplied to residents in Vyasarpadi, Patel Nagar, Valluvar Kottam and parts of Anna Nagar.

When the project is completed, water could be directly supplied to northern and western parts of the city and the extended areas such as Manali, Madhavaram and Ambattur. Moreover, 5- 10 per cent of water loss during transmission could also be prevented after the revamp of the plant.