The Hindu 24.07.2013
Corporation starts laying pipelines for water supply
Commuting safely on roads is going to be a herculean task for city residents as the Municipal Corporation has started to lay pipelines for Mettur – Salem Dedicated Water Supply Scheme.
The residents, who were already irked by the battered roads due to the non-completion of underground drainage works and non-relaying of tar topped roads in their area, have to face this new challenge as the pipelines from Mamangam have to pass through the arterial roads to reach the 22 overhead tanks being constructed at various parts of the city.
Residents worry that after pipelines are placed , the pits are not properly closed and relaying of tar-topped roads would not happen in another four months time when the monsoon would be in its peak.
“This makes commuting a risky one”, said Krishnan, a resident of Chattiram.
The civic body had not closed the pit dug to lay pipelines on Venkatappa Chetty Road, Seetharaman Chetty Road and Chattiram areas making it difficult for pedestrians or two-wheelers. The situation is worse at few places on Venkatappa Chetty Road as the pits were not properly closed and water stagnates on it posing threat to road users.
Pipelines were already dumped along arterial roads for laying and are expected to be completed in three months. Residents, who had a bitter experience due to non-completion of UGD works, want the relaying of roads to be carried out immediately so that the roads are safe during monsoon season.
As part of the dedicated water scheme to supply 135 litres of protected drinking water to each resident’s everyday, works is being carried out at a total cost of Rs. 283.09 crore.
Under Stage II works, carried out in four packages at a total cost of Rs. 132.12 crore, work is on to construct 22 overhead tanks, laying of pipeline in the city for about 67.385 km., providing connectivity to houses for about 165.99 km. and installing Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition for monitoring movement of the water in pipelines.
