Rs 100 crore for tackling water crisis: Velumani

Replying to a special calling attention motion moved by the Opposition benches, he accepted that the city’s water provision had dwindled from 830 MLD (Million Litres per day) to 550 MLD now, the minister said a total of Rs 97,676 crore has been sanctioned to ensure potable water in rural and urban areas. 

The amount would be used to sink new borewells, repair existing borewells, installation of motor and hand pumps wherever needed, setting up plastic water tanks and water supply through tankers, the minister added.

Areas surrounding Chennai were being provided 1565 MLD water to benefit 4.21 crore people through 553 combined water supply schemes by TWAD, he added. Daily 15 MLD water was being supplied through 189 municipal lorries and another 167 private vehicles to 10 municipalities and 68 town panchayats, he said. Of the 1,337 new bores planned for municipalities and town panchayats, work at 839 sites have been completed, he said.

The forest department would initiate action to curb the monkey and peacock menace in Kanniyakumari and Erode districts respectively, forest minister Dindigul C Srinivasan informed the House during the question hour on Wednesday.

This was followed by an appeal from M Parameswari representing Manachanallur constituency requesting the government to set up an elephant reserve in Sanamangalam panchayat. Padmanabhapuram MLA Mano Thangaraj then sought steps to put an end to the monkey menace in his constituency which was due to a specific weed that destroyed other plants and produced fruits for monkeys. “The forest department should initiate measures either to control its growth or destroy the weed,” he said. Srinivasan had assured that action would be initiated to resolve the problem.