MADURAI
All 35 major and minor sewage pumping stations in Madurai will soon go through a series of upgradation, according to Corporation Commissioner S. Aneesh Sekhar. A total of ₹50 crore has been set aside for this project.
Madurai Corporation’s sewage pumping stations are 100 years old. According to a source requesting anonymity, in 1924, Madurai had seven sub pumping stations and one main pumping station connected to Santhaipettai pumping station. Through gravity, the sewage would be transported from Santhaipettai to Avaniapuram for seven km.
The Commissioner told The Hindu that it was necessary to replace the lines as many of them had become obsolete. “Currently, though several households are connected to the underground drainage system, the Corporation is still forced to let the sewage into drains. With revamping, such problems can be avoided.” he said.
According to the Bureau of Indian Standards IS:1172-1993, a minimum water supply of 135 litres per capita per day (LPCD) should be supplied to residents. In Madurai, due to water shortage, about 100 LPCD is provided. Of this, 80% of water consumed by residents goes as waste water. With an effective UGD system, water in all 100 wards will be diverted to sewage treatment plants in Avaniapuram (125 mld capacity) and Sakkimangalam (45 mld capacity). The water, in turn, can be used for recharging groundwater and irrigation too, says a senior engineer from the Corporation.
He adds that water leakage into channels, storm water drains and the Vaigai will stop. He says that in 2018 leakage into waterbodies has halved. “Till two years ago, the Corporation identified over 70 places where sewage was let into channels. This has been arrested. Now, it has been restricted to about 15 places. The introduction of this project is a step in the right direction,” he concludes.