Urban News

The Hindu 25.11.2009

Industries evince interest in water purchase

Staff Reporter

COIMBATORE: Three industries here have expressed interest in purchasing water that will be treated by the Coimbatore Corporation at its sewage treatment plants.

At a workshop on water management, organised here on Tuesday by the Confederation of Indian Industry, Corporation Commissioner Anshul Mishra said the total capacity of the sewage treatment plants at Ukkadam, Nanjundapuram and Ondiupudur, which would come up as part of the Underground Sewerage Scheme, would be 170 million litres a day (mld). The treatment would be started soon and initially about 20 mld would be treated. Three industries had come forward to purchase the treated (non-potable) water.

The Indian Institute of Technology, Madras, was studying the feasibility of selling the treated water and the pricing issue. The Commissioner said he had suggested to the industries to form a consortium. For the treatment plant that would come up at Ondipudur, the Corporation was looking at the public-private partnership mode.

On rejuvenation of the water bodies, he said the Corporation had taken up the work at eight water bodies here under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission at a cost of Rs. 130 crore. There should be a system to maintain the water bodies after the rejuvenation works. “We need a sustainable system,” he said. The Corporation had prepared a project report and would consider the public- private partnership mode to create facilities to generate revenue.

Mr. Mishra also highlighted the need to economise water usage and minimise distribution losses. “We need to increase the standards in water supply management,” he said.

The Hindu 16.11.2009

Work on 35 overhead tanks begins on a single day

Special Correspondent

— Photo: R. Ashok.

FEAT: Transport Minister K.N. Nehru laying the foundation stone for an overhead water tank at Jeganathapuram in Tiruchi.

TIRUCHI: The Tiruchi Corporation set a record of sorts when it launched the works on construction of 35 overhead water tanks in different parts of the city on a single day on Saturday.

The Transport Minister, K. N. Nehru laid foundation stone for all the 35 tanks at different sites in the city yesterday morning, much to the delight the residents of the city in general and the residents of the newly added areas, who are the major beneficiaries, in particular. These water tanks will come up under the Rs. 169 crores drinking water supply augmentation scheme with the financial assistance from the Japan Bank for International Cooperation. Mr. Nehru laid the foundation stone first at Sanjeevi Nagar (Devadhanam) in the presence of S. Sujatha, Mayor, T. T. Balsamy, Corporation Commissioner, M. Anbazhagan, Deputy Mayor, Anbil Periasamy and K. N. Sekaran, both MLAs. The District Collector, T. Soundiah presided over.

Later he visited all the other identified sites and formally inaugurated the works. Already 54 OHTs existed in the Corporation limits and the new tanks proposed will have a total storage capacity of 163 lakh litres of water.

The scheme will increase the per capita drinking water supply to 135 litres per day, besides ensuring equitable distribution to all parts of the city. The construction works are likely to be completed within a couple of years, a corporation press release said.