Tambaram Corporation’s initiative to improve water supply showing results

When several residential localities in the southern suburbs were brought under the purview of the Tambaram Corporation in August 2021, the main issue was the lopsided development of civic infrastructure, mainly piped water supply and underground drainage facility

When several residential localities in the southern suburbs were brought under the purview of the Tambaram Corporation in August 2021, the main issue was the lopsided development of civic infrastructure, mainly piped water supply and underground drainage facility.

While the Pallavaram Municipality comprising Chromepet and Hasthinapuram had the piped drinking water and UGD in place, the piped drinking water scheme was in the completion stage in Tambaram Municipality and work was half-way through in Pammal Municipality.

The remaining two municipalities and five special panchayats did not have dependable water supply. After Alagu Meena took over as Corporation Commissioner in February, she tasked the municipal officials to draw a timetable and take steps to augment drinking water supply to all residents in the corporation limits in summer.

As part of the initiative, the Commissioner had directed the officials to upload the timetable on the website of the Corporation for the summer months. Augmentation of water supply and renovation of old water pipelines has helped the Corporation supply water at least four days a week for three hours in several localities that were getting water once in seven days.

A senior official, explaining the steps about augmenting the water sources, said the 70 wards covering a population of 10.50 lakh get 75 million litres a day (MLD) of water from the Chennai Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board, the Palar river bed, Tamilnadu Water supply and Drainage (TWAD) department, quarry water, open wells and mini borewells.

Except for a few localities under the erstwhile Pallavaram municipality and a few special panchayats, many residential localities of Anakaputhur, Thiruneermalai, Tambaram, and Pammal, were supplied water once in 5 to 7 days. A study was done by the officials to pool the water received from various sources and then ensure fair distribution.

The Corporation started supplying water to those localities without any water pipelines by utilising the 1,932 mini water pumps. It has renovated five old and disused open wells at Madambakkam lake at a cost of ₹27.30 lakh to supply 1.50 million litres daily to Chitlpakkam. It has taken up maintenance work in the quarry at Anakaputhur at a cost of ₹25 lakh.