The Hindu : Palar supply to Tambaram dwindling

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Oct 19, 2002

Southern States

Southern States - Tamil Nadu-Chennai

Palar supply to Tambaram dwindling

By K.Manikandan

CHENNAI OCT.18. Residents of Tambaram municipality have never felt thirsty as subterranean water from the Palar river has been supplied to them for four decades now. But of late, they fear that the day is not far when they would be deprived of the water unless urgent steps are taken.

Residents recall that copious supply of Palar water and the abundant groundwater made Tambaram the most sought-after suburb. All this has changed over a decade as water is supplied only once in a fortnight and at times, just once in three weeks.

Official sources said while nothing less than 65 lakh litres of water per day was required for residents, the supply was much less. The problem began in June this year and due to the drought-like conditions, water level at the Villiyambakkam head works, from where water is drawn for the municipality dipped, according to M.A. Vaidyalingam, Tambaram MLA.

To redress the problem at the earliest, he proposed sinking of additional wells at Palur village, three kilometres from the Villiyambakam head works. Water was available in plenty at Palur and it could be sent to head works and from there it could be supplied through main pipelines.

Mr. Vaidyalingam said he had sanctioned Rs. 20 lakhs from his constituency development fund on 14 August this year. However, administrative sanction for releasing the amount was given only at the end of September. If the sanction had been given early, work could have commenced and the deficit in water supply made up.

However, officials of the Tambaram municipality and the Kancheepuram district administration allayed fears of water shortage and said the worst was over.

The Collector, K. Rajaraman, said since it was a major project, the nod was given only after going through routine procedures of actual investigation, preparing detailed estimates and getting technical sanction.

Mr Rajaraman said tenders had been called and would be opened on October 23. Works would be completed by the second week of November. The situation had improved as the Metrowater and the Alandur municipality too had supplied water to Tambaram.

The present supply to Tambaram stood at 4.5 million litres per day (MLD), while it was just 2.5 MLD in June.

The Tambaram Municipal Commissioner, A.N. Santhanam, said they spent Rs. 35 lakhs on ferrying water by lorries last year. They managed to locate alternate sources of water within Tambaram, which would yield 30 lakh litres per day.

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