New plan to supply water to 3 panchayats
With these areas witnessing rapid urbanisation and population growth, the existing system of supplying water sourced from bore wells through overhead tanks under the Jal Jeevan Mission has failed to meet demand.
Chennai Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (CMWSSB)
CHENNAI: The Chennai Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (CMWSSB) has proposed a new water supply project to cater to the fast-developing village panchayats of Moulivakkam, Paraniputhur and Iyyappanthangal by drawing from the Chembarambakkam water treatment plant (WTP).
With these areas witnessing rapid urbanisation and population growth, the existing system of supplying water sourced from bore wells through overhead tanks under the Jal Jeevan Mission has failed to meet demand. To address the shortfall, the board has come up with a new plan to ensure uninterrupted water supply.
“The water here is often yellow and not suitable for drinking. Most households are forced to buy packaged water,” rued Senthil, a resident and social activist from Iyyappanthangal. “Although our area is officially a village panchayat, the demand is similar to that of urban neighbourhoods. Residents have been demanding piped supply from a reliable source, as we frequently face scarcity due to poor operations.”
At present, CMWSSB relies mainly on groundwater to supply these areas. The proposed project is expected to ease the hardships faced by residents. According to officials, the project involves laying a 1,200 mm diameter pipeline from Chembarambakkam to Moulivakkam, Paraniputhur and Iyyappanthangal. The water will be stored in underground tanks planned in each of these localities before distribution.
Officials also noted that since these panchayats fall under the Jal Jeevan scheme, as they are not currently covered under the piped drinking water supply network.
CMWSSB currently draws water from primary lake sources such as Poondi, Cholavaram, Red Hills and Chembarambakkam. It has also commissioned desalination and WTPs to boost supply, as the city’s daily water requirement has touched 1,200 million litres per day (MLD).
The Chembarambakkam WTP, with a capacity of 530 MLD, was commissioned in 2007 to treat water received from Krishna river under the Telugu Ganga project. It will now be used to supply these suburban areas as part of the new initiative.
