Coimbatore Corporation has begun work to convey the sewage treated at the Ukkadam sewage treatment plant to Vellalore.
The Corporation officials familiar with the development say the civic body is building a collection well to hold 10 lakh litre treated sewage and to start laying pipeline for 1.30 km to convey the treated sewage to Vellalore.
The cost of the project is ₹ 2.50 crore.
The pipeline to be laid will convey the sewage from the treatment plant to Kulandai Gounder Street, where an old pipeline exists till Vellalore.
In Vellalore, the Corporation is building a four-lakh-litre sump to store the water, which it will use to water plants and to put out flames during fire breakouts.
The Corporation also plants to sell the surplus water to private establishments like golf course or industries that may be interested.
The officials say that as part of the work, the Corporation will also be repairing a 400 – 500m stretch of the pipeline near the newly constructed Podanur bridge. The pipeline was damaged during the bridge construction.
The Corporation has asked the Southern Railway for the pipeline design and as per the Railway’s specification, it will carry out the work. The completion of the work will minimise the Corporation’s reliance on fire tenders from the Fire and Rescue Services to douse fire during accidents at the dump yard.
The Corporation had first mooted the proposal to sell the treated sewage in 2015 by calling for an expression of interest. After poor response and a two-year delay, the Corporation in 2017 initiated the project to convey the treated sewage to Vellalore.