Mayor, Commissioner inspect Mullaperiyar drinking water project work at Pannaipatti

MADURAI

Madurai Mayor Indrani Pon Vasanth, Corporation Commissioner Simranjeet Singh Kahlon and other senior officials and councillors, on Thursday, inspected the progress of a component of a major drinking water scheme, being implemented under AMRUT project with ₹1,653 crore funds from Asian Development Bank, at Pannaipatti on Thursday.

The project, which was proposed during the end of the past AIADMK government led by Edappadi K Palaniswami, is aimed at bring water from Mullaperiyar river and pump it to Pannaipatti for treatment and later supply it to Madurai city’s extended wards and other places.

The objective is to ensure uninterrupted drinking water supply to residents by laying pipelines in all the 100 wards in Madurai by combining the present Mullaiperiyar scheme and Cauvery Integrated Drinking Water scheme. Already, the Corporation has been providing potable water to the old 72 wards. With the civic body having added 28 new wards by including a few panchayats and municipal wards, now Madurai city has wards.

The project, when implemented, would provide 165 million litres/day and hence a boon to the residents, particularly to those in annexed areas of the Corporation. Though the project was going on in full swing, the Mayor appealed to the engineers at the site to expedite it.

According to the engineers, water would be drawn from Mullaperiyar river near Lower Camp and taken through giant steel pipes laid for a distance of 96 km through Gudalur, Cumbum, Uthamapalayam, Kandamanur Vilakku, Vaigai dam to reach Pannaipatti where it would be treated in a newly-established treatment plant.

From there, the treated water would be transported in pipelines being laid up to Sholavandan and then to Madurai city covering 55.44 km. In Madurai city, the engineers have laid pipes in 32 wards covering 855 km and another 57 wards covering 813 km. A total of 37 overhead tanks are being constructed for storage and distribution at different locations.