Tambaram’s 24x7 water supply plan to take public-private partnership route in 6 areas

CHENNAI: The Tamil Nadu Urban Infrastructure Financial Services Ltd (TNUIFSL) has invited consultants to redraw Tambaram Corporation’s 24x7 water-supply plan and prepare the groundwork for implementing the first phase through a public-private partnership (PPP), covering six of the Corporation’s added areas.

The consultancy will update the water-supply DPR prepared in 2023 for the entire Tambaram Corporation.

The move comes as Tambaram’s existing water-supply system remains dependent on multiple sources and agencies, with the document identifying intermittent supply, inadequate per-capita availability and low distribution pressure among the problems that need to be addressed. The earlier DPR, completed in 2023, is now being revisited to factor in the Corporation’s latest population, development, infrastructure, water demand and cost estimates.

The 24x7 plan is for the entire Corporation, including the 15 village panchayats that are yet to be merged. Implementation will be in phases, with the six areas newly added: Sembakkam, Madambakkam, Chittalapakkam, Tiruneermalai, Perungalthur and Peerkankaranai forming Phase I; Tambaram, Pammal, Pallavaram and Anagaputhur forming Phase II, and 15 village panchayat areas forming Phase III. Separate financial models and project structures will be prepared for the phases.

The 2023 DPR had envisaged expanding the distribution network from 1,140 km to 1,502 km. It had proposed 117 water-supply zones and 156 District Metered Areas (DMAs), against 58 existing zones. The plan also envisaged 117 OHTs, including 59 new tanks, and 2,13,914 house service connections, compared with 51,017 existing connections. A SCADA-based monitoring system was also proposed.

The identified sources are 45 MLD from Nemmeli desalination plant, 99 MLD from Perur desalination plant, 58 MLD from Orathur Reservoir, 28 MLD from Manimangalam Lake, 43 MLD from the Palar and 28 MLD from Maduranthakam Lake. The consultant will have to check their adequacy and sustainability for the next 30 years. The exact PPP arrangement, including the financial structure, has not yet been finalised.