Underground drainage project in Tiruchi nearing completion

Tiruchi Corporation's UGD project in final stages, aiming to cover 80% of city, facing challenges with water seepage and boulders.

The ongoing underground drainage (UGD) project, undertaken by Tiruchi Corporation in various parts of the city, is expected to be completed within the next two months.

The Corporation, under Phase II, Phase III, and the Smart Cities Mission, is implementing the project in 45 wards, intending to cover at least 80% of the city under the UGD network.

The projects, which began in 2018 and 2019, were slated to be completed by June as the Corporation could not meet the earlier deadlines of June and December 2023.

According to official sources, the pipeline-laying work under Phase III and the Smart City projects are in the final stages with only around 16 km left and is expected to be completed by September. The work under Phase II has been completed.

The UGD work in most of the interior residential areas is yet to be completed. In some places, water seepage has been impeding the progress of the project. The workers had to pump out the water in order to carry out the pipeline installation work. Similarly, the presence of boulders also adds to the woes. Work on such rocky portions would be taken up after finishing the entire stretch using blasting methods.

Meanwhile, work to provide household connections is also progressing well, and the civic body aims to relay the damaged roads before the onset of the monsoon. “We are making efforts to expedite the project and the progress is being tracked. Household connections are also been provided simultaneously to relay the stretch,” said a senior Corporation official.

However, residents suggest that the civic body ensure the quality of the roads as the summer rain caused significant damage to the newly laid roads in Thennur and Crawford areas.