The Hindu 01.04.2013
New wards may get more drinking water soon
Commissioner asked to initiate a feasibility study on the scheme.
The Tiruchirapalli City Corporation has decided to prepare a feasibility report and design a new scheme, either through the Tamil Nadu Water Supply and Drainage Board or a private consultant, to augment drinking water supply to residents of the five new wards on a par with other parts of the city.
The corporation has decided to execute a new drinking water scheme for the five new wards that have been added to it recently. The wards – 61 to 65 – are spread over Tiruverumbur Town Panchayat, and Pappakurichi, Ellakudi, Keezha Kalkandarkottai, and Alathur panchayats, all in the eastern suburbs of the city, were merged with the corporation following delimitation.
Though the areas are served by two combined drinking water schemes from Tiruverumbur, the corporation intends to increase the per capita water supply to the residents of the five wards to 135 litres a day on a par with other parts of the city and in line with the norms of Central Public Health and Environmental Engineering Organisation of the Union Urban Development Ministry.
At present, residents in the new wards are getting about 70 to 100 litres a day. The drinking water supply augmentation scheme under execution in the city with an investment of Rs. 221.42 crore with assistance from Japan International Cooperation Agency, designed prior to the merger of the civic bodies, will not cater to the five wards.
The council at its recent meeting approved a resolution empowering the Commissioner to initiate necessary action.
The TWAD Board or the consultant would be asked to prepare a feasibility report and the detailed project report and design the new water scheme and identify funding options.
The council approved tenders for hiring private water tankers to fill the PVC tanks, each of 2,000 litres capacity, at 56 places in the five wards. The move is a temporary measure until a new scheme is executed.
