Metrowater to seek funds from Asian Development Bank for infrastructure upgrades

CMWSSB proposes projects to upgrade water supply and sewerage infrastructure in Chennai, seeking funding from ADB and Central government.

The Chennai Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (CMWSSB) is set to propose two vital projects – one to enhance the city’s water supply and another to upgrade to the sewerage infrastructure – to the Asian Development Bank (ADB) for funding. It is also likely to submit the proposals to the Central government in a week.

In a significant push to enhance urban resilience, the CMWSSB will submit the proposals to create ring main pipeline, aimed at uniform water distribution, and upgrade the old sewerage system in core areas covered under the Nesapakkam sewage treatment plant (STP) to the Department of Economic Affairs.

Officials said the work was likely to start by September after the Centre’s approval and funding is obtained. The CMWSSB has set the ball rolling for one of the long pending demands to modernise the aging sewer network. It may be recalled that a detailed project report to improve the sewer infrastructure in core areas, which were created over five decades ago, was prepared earlier this year.

In the first phase, the old network in core areas (zones 9, 10, and 13) covered under the Nesapakkam STP will be revamped at a cost of ₹740.37 crore. Residents said the project was the need of the hour, particularly when core areas often struggled with sewage issues.

Vasanthi Kannan, secretary, Kodambakkam Residents’ Civic and Welfare Association said: “The work must be accelerated to match rapid urbanisation as many individual houses in areas such as K.K. Nagar and Kodambakkam have been replaced by apartments. Places such as Akbarabad Street, Parangusapuram Street, Subramanyanagar Cross Street, and Rangarajapuram Main Road often faced recurring sewage issues.”

Residents said sewage overflow was common during the monsoon as the system was designed for a limited population. The proposals include replacing 160 km of the sewage collection pipeline and laying new lines and nearly 55% of the about 13,000 machine holes and upgrading sewage pumping stations and building at least three new ones.

Another major project is the ring main pipeline. This will constitute the setting up of a large circular pipeline, which will draw from different water sources and connect all of Chennai’s water treatment plants. It will create a distribution loop around the city to improve water pressure, minimise transmission loss, ensure equitable supply, and stave off shortages.