The Hindu 05.01.2015
New water connection on demand remains a pipe dream
10 to 20 p.c. of water augmentation scheme work still pending
Water gushing out from a pipeline below the overhead tank at Panjapur in Tiruchi on Sunday.— Photo: B.Velankanni Raj
Though the Tiruchirapalli City Corporation has claimed
that it is ready to provide new water connections on demand, many
residents complain that the civic body is yet to complete about 10 to 20
per cent of the Rs.178-crore drinking water augmentation scheme work.
It
was stated that the Corporation had the capacity to extend 1 lakh new
connections in addition to the existing 92,703 connections.
Although
the civic body has started providing new connections to residents in
fits and starts, field visits to a few areas including Panjapur reveal
that last part of laying the distribution line and fine-tuning works are
still pending.
The functioning of the overhead water tank at Panjapur is a case in point.
The
2-lakh litre capacity tank at Panjapur was constructed about two years
ago. The tank was built to cater to the needs of around 1,000 households
in West and East Panjapur, “eighty-eight” Panjapur, Vinayagar Nagar,
and other neighbouring areas in the 39{+t}{+h}ward of the Corporation.
Though the tank is filled with fresh water almost on a daily basis from
the main line of the augmentation scheme, the tank invariably overflows
as no new connection has been extended from the tank. Result? Thousands
of litres of water get wasted every day.
“A few works
have been pending for so long. I have taken it up to the notice of the
authorities on several occasions. I have also raised the issue in
council meetings. However, the works are moving at a slow pace,” says N.
Kathiravan (MDMK), councillor of ward 39.
Most of
the residents of Panjapur area are still depending on wells and street
pipes for their water supply. Many of these residents are willing to get
new connections, he says.
H.Ghouse Baigh, secretary,
Consumer Protection Council, Golden Rock branch, said that it was
painful to see huge amount of drinking water going waste. The
Corporation should either step up completion of last stage of work or
take steps to avoid wastage of water. There was a need for reviewing the
efficiency of water augmentation scheme. Shortcomings should be
addressed immediately. Claiming that there was an “inordinate delay” in
processing the applications for water connections, he urged authorities
to ensure transparency in issuing connections.
