The Hindu 18.06.2010
Kavundampalayam, Vadavalli to overcome drinking water scarcity
Special Correspondent
| Bhavani scheme provides the much needed relief |
Plans are on for a phase two scheme for Thondamuthur, Vedapatti, Veerakeralam, Perur and Dhaliyur
- Photo: M. Periasamy 
AUGMENTING SUPPLY:Deputy Chief Minister M.K. Stalin (second left) turns on the tap to inaugurate the Bhavani Combined Water Supply Scheme at Vadavalli Town Panchayat near Coimbatore city on Tuesday.
COIMBATORE: The Rs.30-crore Bhavani Combined Water Supply Scheme will meet a persistent demand from the residents of Kavundampalayam Municipality and Vadavalli Town Panchayat for regular supply of drinking water, the local bodies said on Thursday. After Deputy Chief Minister M.K. Stalin inaugurated the supply on Tuesday, the local bodies on the city's western border are hopeful of getting out of a more than a decade-old drinking water scarcity for at least another 10 years.
The scheme itself was announced in 1999, along with the Aliyar Scheme for Kurichi and Kuniamuthur municipalities and the Pilloor Phase II scheme for Coimbatore city.
Testing of lines to identify teething problems was on in both these areas and there were hopes of the supply situation improving vastly, official sources in the municipality and town panchayat said. Hereafter, the supply situation would not be totally dependent on the availability of water in the Siruvani Dam, they pointed out.
“From a pathetic situation wherein water is supplied once in 18 days, we hope to improve it to thrice a week,” Chairman of the municipality K.M. Sundaram said. Kavundampalayam was now provided with 4.56 million litres a day (mld) for supply to 14,998 water connections. The new scheme would provide another 5.74 mld.
“There are some minor problems that we have identified during a test supply. We may have to remove blocks in some lines and then proper linking of these also will have to be done. It may take a month for the entire system to settle and function smoothly,” he said. Vadavalli Town Panchayat sounded hopeful of alternate day supply. So far, it could provide Siruvani water only once in 12 or 14 days during summer and once in five or six days even when water overflowed from Siruvani Dam.
Sources in the town panchayat explained that the local body had to provide a meagre amount of 7.5 lakh litres of Siruvani water to 7,700 water connections at 31 litres per capita a day. The Bhavani scheme would help in providing 70 litres per capita a day with a total supply of 5.60 mld to the town panchayat.
Full-fledged supply in Vadavalli under the new scheme might be done in 10 to 15 days after the testing.
The quota allocated under the Bhavani Scheme would meet Vadavalli's requirement till 2020. Plans were on for a phase two scheme thereafter for Vadavalli, Thondamuthur, Vedapatti, Veerakeralam, Perur and Dhaliyur.
