The wards recently added to the Madurai Corporation are all set to have a revamped water supply system.
Commissioner S. Aneesh Sekhar and City Engineer A. Mathuram presented a project proposal for ₹600 crore for approval to the Department of Municipal Administration and Water Supply in Chennai on Monday.
The project envisages supply of potable water through new distribution pipelines in the 28 wards included in the Corporation in 2011. It will aid development of added wards which lack proper water and drainage facilities.
Mr. Mathuram said that the 28 wards, which include areas like Melamadai, Vandiyur, Naganakulam, Kannanendhal, Avaniapuram and Uthangudi span over 96 square km.
“Most of these wards do not have an integrated engineering design because they were earlier parts of municipalities or village panchayats. The pressure on pipes is haphazard and not uniform. With this new project, the Corporation can focus on redevelopment and better design,” he said.
Most of the pipelines in these areas are not laid as per norms. It has led to over 30% water loss on a daily basis. With a new system in place, the said that equitable distribution of water at the beginning and end of the pipe could be ensured. “Ideally, each pipe should be able to handle 12m of pressure so that water can be pumped to the fourth floor. Now, houses located close to the overhead tanks receive more water and those at the tail end receive little. The project attempts to change that method,” he said.
Mr. Mathuram said that supply lines in most areas of the old city, which were designed in 1924, too needed change. He added that the 100 year-old-system also led to significant water loss. It would also undergo changes, he said.
Currently, the project bears the implications of poor engineering. In most added wards, water is not supplied on a daily basis. The Cauvery Integrated Water Supply Scheme supplies a meagre 10 mld of water to some added wards through pipelines to overhead tanks. According to a source from the engineering department, water tankers are used to supply water to at least 20 of the 28 added wards. But they face extensive shortfall during summer.
S. Kanagapriya, a teacher living in Meenakshipuram, says that her area barely receives any water. “We spend at least ₹2,500 a month for our daily requirement of water. About 10% of my monthly salary goes for water. The Corporation has not been able to ensure basic necessities for us,” she says. Upon hearing the project, she says that proper execution would make all the difference.
The project has been submitted days after Principal Secretary, Municipal Administration and Water Supply, Harmander Singh, visited Madurai. It awaits administrative and technical sanctions.