The Hindu 06.06.2012
Water treatment plant in Red Hills to get a new lease of life
Residents of northern and western parts of the city may
soon have better access to drinking water. The water treatment plant in
Red Hills, from where many parts of Chennai are supplied and in dire
need of repair, is all set to be revamped.
After 16
years of its inception, the plant that has a capacity to treat 300
million litres a day (mld) would undergo a revamp. Chennai Metrowater
has awarded the contract to VA Tech Wabag, which is currently
constructing the desalination plant at Nemmeli on East Coast Road for
the water agency, to take up the project.
Rs. 10 crore alloted
It
has allocated Rs.10 crore towards the overhauling of the plant. Sources
in the VA Tech Wabag said that besides replacing the mechanical and
electrical equipments that have worn out over the years, the filter bed
and the facility that carries raw water drawn from the Red Hills
reservoir to the plant would also be revamped.
“We
are able to treat and transport only 150-200 mld because of the damages
in the various units of the plant. Once the improvement works are
completed by February next year, we will be able to operate the plant to
its full capacity,” the sources said.
VA Tech Wabag
would also continue to operate and maintain for the next five years. It
has been operating the facility for the past one decade. Sources in
Metrowater said that the volume of water transported through pipeline
has to be treated again at the Kilpauk Water Works to ensure quality.
The treated water is supplied to residents in Vyasarpadi, Patel Nagar,
Valluvar Kottam and parts of Anna Nagar.
When the
project is completed, water could be directly supplied to northern and
western parts of the city and the extended areas such as Manali,
Madhavaram and Ambattur. Moreover, 5- 10 per cent of water loss during
transmission could also be prevented after the revamp of the plant.