The Times of India             25.01.2014

Madurai corporation to drill 500 borewells

MADURAI: Madurai corporation plans to drill 500 more borewells in the city limits to address water scarcity that has become the hallmark of a summer here. A proposal seeking Rs 18 crore for drilling bore wells has been sent to the state government.

The corporation plans to drill five bore wells in each ward and 125 borewells in each zone, thus totaling 500 bore wells. With rains proving elusive and water table falling subsequently, an alarmed corporation has started to take pre-emptive steps. Civic officials will be identifying areas with robust water table to drill bore wells.

Meanwhile, corporation is also planning to draw water from private open wells through private tankers. A large number of private wells are in use in areas like Kochadai, Kannanendal and Oomachikulam. Corporation officials are frequently conducting meetings to discuss availability and supply of water.

V V Rajan Chellappa, mayor of Madurai Ccorporation, has urged officials to come up with plans to manage the available water effectively. "We have already been receiving a large number of complaints about inadequate water supply from many areas. While there is two more months for summer to set in, the early scarcity has alarmed officials so much so that officials are taking stock of the situation," said an official who took part in the meeting.

Talking about the current water stock, the official said the present total requirement of water for Madurai city is 166 million litres every day. The water pumping stations along Vaigai supply around 16 million litres per , while the Kochadai pumping station supplies around 21 million litres every day. The rest of the drinking water requirement is met with two drinking water schemes from Vaigai dam that supply 68 mlpd and 47 mlpd respectively, he said.