Govt’s new O&M policy plugs leaks in water supply
CHENNAI: The Tamil Nadu government’s Operation and Maintenance (O&M) policy of water supply schemes has emphasised that sand mining within a 500-metre radius around the head works at the river bed location of Single Village Scheme (SVS) and Combined Water Supply Scheme (CWSS) will be strictly prohibited.
Based on the instruction from the Union Ministry of Jal Shakti, the TN Municipal Administration and Water Supply Department developed the O&M policy, which was approved at the 13th state-level scheme sanctioning committee meeting. According to the O&M policy, “the sand-removed portion near the infiltration wells/collector wells should be filled up with sand and proper anchoring arrangements made in connecting main and electric cables.”
“Pumpsets and other electromechanical items should be lifted to avoid submergence of equipment in water. During drought, flow diversion in rivers, flushing of bore wells and radial arms of collector wells, cleaning of the surface of porous media in infiltration wells, deepening of open wells, shall be done to augment required water from the existing head works,” it said.
The policy also emphasised that the village panchayat shall provide functional household tap connection (FHTC) to all households and a deposit of Rs 1,000 and a monthly user fee will be collected.
“In case of less yield in the water source of a CWSS/SVS, the drinking water needs of the people will have the highest priority among competing uses of water. Whenever there is reduced yield in the sources/head works of an SVS/ CWSS, priority of water supply share shall be given to the public drinking water. The rest of the quantity shall be spared with the industrial/ commercial/institutional beneficiaries,” it noted.
CHENNAI: The Chennai Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (CMWSSB) started laying pipelines for underground drinking water and sewage projects in Perungudi and Shollinganallur zones on Saturday.
More than 4 lakh people would be benefited when these projects are completed and they would get connections almost after a decade since extended areas in the corporation limit.
On Friday, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin laid the foundation stone for an underground drinking water project from Taramani link road to Nookkammpalayam in OMR at an estimated cost of Rs 98.28 crore. The pipeline length of 35.41 km was laid on Saturday. After the work is completed 16.5 MLD of water will be supplied to the residents where as many as 3.32 lakh people would be benefited through the project, a release from CMWSSB stated.
In addition, the work for the sewage project from Okkiyam - Thoraipakkam has also commenced after the municipal administration minister K N Nehru laid the foundation stone on March 8. A total cost of Rs 280 crore has been allocated to lay 69.63 km pipeline for sewer projects in the area.
Under the Okkiyam - Thoraipakkam comprehensive underground sewage project 2,819 mechanical inlets, three sewage pumping stations and six roadside pumping stations will be constructed in the locality. As many as 1.41 lakh residents will be befitted after the underground work is completed, the release added.