Chief Minister M.K. Stalin on Saturday virtually inaugurated water pipeline, underground sewerage projects in Sholinghur, Ambur, Tiruvannamalai and Kalambur towns.
Officials of the Tamil Nadu Water Supply and Drainage Board which executes the projects, said work had been taken up under the Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) 2.0. “Drainage network will prevent residents from discharging wastewater on the streets and roads,” said K. Prema, a resident in Ambur
Originally sanctioned in January 2018, the underground drainage work in Ambur town was started in October the same year at a cost of ₹139.83 crore, covering all 36 wards that has a population of 1.21 lakh persons. As part of the work, underground sewer pipelines were laid for a distance of 94.22 km in the town with 3,607 manholes. A sewage treatment plant (STP), which has a capacity of 16.21 MLC, was built on a 2.78 acre-plot along Palar river to discharge treated wastewater into it. The new facility will cover 18,187 households in the town. Due to the long work period, the total cost of the project was escalated to ₹165.55 crore.
In Sholinghur town near Ranipet, residents will soon get piped water supply as work to lay water pipelines has commenced. The ₹47.58 crore work will cover 27 wards in the municipality that has around 20,000 households in its limits. Water pipelines will be laid to a distance of 26.87 km from Ponneri river, a tributary of Palar, to the town. Three deep borewells, around 900 ft. each, will be dug on the riverbed to pump water to seven tanks including four overhead tanks (OHTs). Each tank, on an average, will have at least 5 lakh litre capacity. The entire work will be completed by year-end.
At present, residents in the town get water once in three days, mostly at street corner water tanks. Areas like Sholinghur, Arakkonam, Thimiri and Ranipet are arid areas with many villages in these areas dependent on water supplied by panchayats.
Of total 39 wards in Tiruvannamalai town, drainage work on 17 wards was started at a cost of ₹97.67 crore, covering 9,192 households. Sewer pipelines will be laid in key stretches like Chengam Road, Polur Road, Avalurpet Road that connect the town with Villupuram district, in the coming days. A sewage treatment plant will be built to handle 13.16 MLD, TWAD officials said.
