The Hindu 21.06.2010
Plans to augment water supply in Puducherry
Rajesh B. Nair
Improving supply: Water from Oussudu will be taken to Ayee pond to recharge groundwater near the pumping station in Puducherry. —
PUDUCHERRY: The territorial administration has prepared a detailed plan to augment drinking water supply to residents of the town and suburban areas by drawing water from the Oussudu lake to Ayee pond situated a few metres away from the pumping station at Muthirapalayam.
The filling up of Ayee pond would help recharge the ground aquifers near the pumping station, which has around 16 bore wells. The water from the Oussudu lake, which is the largest tank in Puducherry having a capacity of 540 million cubic feet, would be taken to Ayee pond through pipe line, a senior official told The Hindu.
“We have already invited tenders and the contractors will be selected soon. The work to lay the pipeline connecting Oussudu and Ayee will be completed before the onset of monsoon. The pipeline would be around 4,800 m long,” the officials said. In order to complete the work on time, the scheme had been split into three phases, he added.
The project, which was announced by Chief Minister V. Vaithilingam in his budget speech, had been taken up at a cost of around Rs.44 lakh, he said, adding that it would help increase water supply by at least 20 to 30 per cent. The plan was to constantly maintain a water level at a height of 4 m to 5 m in the pond, which can store around 17,500 kilo litres of water, the official said. Though there was a natural channel connecting Ayee pond and Oussudu, it was lost in the process of urbanisation. As of now, on certain days it becomes difficult to operate the 16 bore wells at a time owing to depletion of ground water, the official pointed out.
“There was no need to pump water to Ayee pond. Because the gradient is such that if the sluice is opened, water will naturally flow from the Oussudu lake into the pipe line connecting the pond,” he added.
The historically significant pond named after renowned courtesan Ayee, who claimed to have developed the pond after demolishing her house, has now been restored.
“We have strengthened side bunds and took corrective measures to arrest flow of sewage into the pond. In a way, the project would also help the historically significant pond,” a senior official of the Public Works Department said.
