175 borewells to be dug to meet the water requirement during summer in Vellore

Mayor Sujatha Anandakumar presented the Budget for the Vellore Corporation for 2023-24 at the headquarters on Friday

The Vellore Corporation will dug 175 more borewells to meet the rising water needs of the residents during summer.

Presenting the 2023-24 Budget at the Corporation’s headquarters on Friday, Mayor Sujatha Anandakumar said that the Corporation at present supplied 135 litres per person per day within its limits. Under the Cauvery Joint Water Supply Scheme, the civic body gets 34 mld per day from the TWAD Board. The Corporation also generates 29 mld from its own resources, mainly through borewells along the Palar. However, owing to poor rainfall during the monsoon last year, supply from regular sources might come down. Hence, the Corporation decided to sink 175 more borewells to meet any water shortfall this summer.

“As Vellore city is a parched area, we have desilted and deepened two lakes at a cost of ₹2.25 crore to store excess rainwater during monsoon,” the Mayor said.

Ms. Sujatha said widened storm water drains had been constructed to a distance of 14.63 km at a cost of ₹69.13 crore, covering all 60 wards of the civic body. The civic body had relaid 270 roads, including streets and bylanes, at a cost of ₹89.81 crore under various schemes. At present, roads were being relaid to a distance of 92 km.

Of the proposed 22 urban wellness centres, the civic body had constructed 10 centres at a cost of ₹6.42 crore and the work on the remaining centres was in progress. In addition, four urban primary health centres had been built within the civic body limits at a cost of ₹3.90 crore. The Corporation had spent ₹40 lakh to feed the stray cattle seized by health officials on the city roads since last year. For the Animal Birth Control (ABC) Programme, the civic body had allocated ₹10 lakh for each of the three zones.