Tamirabarani water to reach all habitations in Thoothukudi
A newly-constructed overhead tank at Kurukkuchalai as part of a combined water supply scheme in Thoothukudi district.
Three more combined water supply schemes will cover 368 villages
Tamirabarani water will be made available at all habitations in Thoothukudi, once three more combined water supply schemes (CWSS) that are in the works get completed.
The three CWSS projects would take Tamirabarani water to a total of 368 habitations, which currently get their water from local sources through standalone water supply schemes. Currently, there are 23 CWSS in the district, including one that supplies water to 239 coastal habitations in Thoothukudi and parts of Virudhunagar district.
The largest among the three new projects covers 248 habitations in Ottapidaram, Kayathar, Kovilpatti, Vilathikulam and Pudur panchayat unions benefiting 1.37 lakh people at an outlay of ₹94.04 crore. Another project worth ₹17.17 crore covers 90 habitations in Srivaikuntam, Thoothukudi and Karungulam unions taking the water to around 53,000 residents.
The third one, which is to be commissioned soon, covers 30 habitations in Udangudi town panchayat, Alwarthirunagari, Tiruchendur, Sattankulam and Udangudi panchayat unions at a cost of ₹9.19 crore, helping around 33,000 residents. The design quantity of the three projects would be 10.7 MLD supplying 40 lpcd (litres per capita per day), said TWAD Board officials.
Currently, water through other CWSS projects reach 1,393 out of 1,761 habitations in the district. The projects have already reached 85-95% completion, and would source their water from Tamirabarani river with headworks at Seevalaperi, Mangalakurichi and Kurangani respectively. Officials said that the project would be completed in the next few months.
The district did not face water crisis, though taps in the northern parts of the State ran dry this year. When water scarcity was reported at a few places, it was addressed quickly in one or two days, said officials.