The Hindu : Front Page : Rs.20.73-cr. desalination project for Ramnad

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Sep 06, 2005

Front Page

Front Page

Rs.20.73-cr. desalination project for Ramnad

C. Jaishankar

The second largest one after Naripaiyur project

RAMANATHAPURAM: : In an effort to cut the spiralling drinking water expenses of people of Ramanathapuram and Kilakarai municipalities, the Tamil Nadu Water and Drainage Board (TWAD) has drawn up a Rs.20.73-crore desalination project, the second largest after the Naripaiyur project.

People are now forced to buy a pot of drinking water at a cost of Rs.2 to Rs.3, owing to poor supply by both municipalities. Supply under the Pottythatty scheme, the main drinking water scheme for Ramanathapuram, has been stopped in the last few months, as the ground water source has completely dried up.

As against the required amount of nearly 25 lakh litres per day for 60,000 population of Ramathapuram municipality, the authorities are able to supply only eight lakh litres per day. At some places, the supply has been maintained once in a week.

Hence, the people have no other option but to buy drinking water from private suppliers, who are fetching water from far-away areas such as Uchipuli and Mandapam. However, the private suppliers too, of late, find it difficult to maintain the supply owing to an overexploitation of wells in the Uchipuli area.

It is under these circumstances that the TWAD Board has formulated a new scheme.

Official sources told The Hindu that the Urban Infrastructure Development Department of the Centre had agreed to contribute 80 per cent of the total cost as grant. Officials of the Centre had already visited the proposed project area and given a technical clearance.

As per the plan, the desalination plant would be established at Sethukarai near Kilakarai and 2.5 MLD (million litres per day) of water would be produced from the proposed plant. To provide pure water to consumers, PVC pipe would be laid from Sethukarai to Kilakarai to a distance of 10 km. Similarly another 12-km heavy density ethylene pipe (HDEP) would be laid from Sethukarai to Ramanathapuram. The pipes would be connected with the existing sumps of both the municipalities.

Efforts are on to get Central grant as soon as possible. The TWAD Board will float a global tender for the project immediately after funds are sanctioned.

The new scheme would certainly solve the drinking water problem of Ramanathapuram and Kilakarai to a great extent, the sources added.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Front Page