The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : Chembarambakkam water treatment plant opening on Thursday

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Jul 17, 2007
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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Chembarambakkam water treatment plant opening on Thursday

Staff Reporter

530-mld facility will be second largest in the country

— Photo: K.V.Srinivasan

NEW PLANT: An aerial view of the 530-mld-capacity Chembarambakkam treatment plant that is to be inaugurated on Thursday.

CHENNAI: The Chembarambakkam water treatment plant is all set to be operated at its full capacity of 530 million litres of water a day (mld). Chief Minister M.Karunanidhi will inaugurate the facility on Thursday.

Once it is commissioned, the facility will be the second largest water treatment plant in the country and add substantially to the Metrowater’s treatment capacity. The agency already has treatment plants in the city and Vadakuthu in Cuddalore district, with a total capacity of 750 mld.

Addressing presspersons on Monday, Metrowater’s managing director Shivdas Meena said the plant was constructed using a French technology that involved pulsator clarifiers to remove suspended particles. Its vertical movement of water would allow the sludge to settle down. The clear water would then be transferred to aquazur filters that would purify it further with filter sand that is of uniform size unlike the conventional methods used now. This will ensure better quality water.

Project cost

Of the total project cost of Rs.296 crore, about Rs.135 crore was spent on building the treatment plant. While Metrowater contributed Rs.107 crore towards construction, the remaining amount was sought as French assistance of which 70 per cent would be repaid, Mr.Meena said.

The plant will be leased to the French company Degremont Sa, involved in the construction since May 2005, to operate and maintain for seven years from the date of commissioning.

Noting that the plant was set up to treat about 12 thousand million cubic feet (930 mld) of Krishna water received every year, he said it would offset the additional requirement of the city and the suburbs.

Present storage

At present, about 140-150 mld of water is being treated at the plant and it would be stepped up in line with the demand. Given the present storage at the reservoirs, the city supply of 640 mld - 645 mld would be sustained till the onset of northeast monsoon, he added.

Metrowater supplies 107 litres per capita per day now as against the norm of 150 lpcd, which means 750 mld of city supply.

Briefing the mediapersons during the tour around the plant site spread across 25 acres, chief engineer (operation and maintenance) V.Sivakumaran said the cost of treated water worked out to Rs.1.25 per kilolitre.

The water from the plant is conveyed through a 21-km pipeline for distribution. Work on the transmission lines to Porur has been completed, and pipe laying work from Chettair Agaram to Koyambedu is in progress.

After finalising its alignment along the NH4 with the authorities concerned, it will be linked to transmission lines at Koyambedu. This would facilitate water distribution to different parts of the city, he added.

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