CHENNAI: The State government has sought sanction of funds from the Centre to the tune of Rs 5,398 crore to take up various drinking water supply schemes in Tamil Nadu. This would help to provide adequate and equitable water supply to the rural habitations of Tamil Nadu, Municipal Administration Minister S. P. Velumani said.
The projects also include desalination plant and connected pipeline works with a designed capacity of 100 MLD for Villupuram and Tindivanam municipality, Marakkanam and Vikkaravandi Town panchayat besides 1,601 rural habitations in 10 Panchayat unions of Villupuram district with approximate cost of Rs 2,000 crore and expected to benefit a population of 16.78 lakh.
In a memorandum submitted to Union Minister for Jal Shakti Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, in New Delhi on Tuesday, Mr. Velumani, said Combined Water Supply Schemes (CWSS) has been proposed for 8 Town Panchayats and 2,452 rural habitations in Sivagangai district with Cauvery river as source. Mitigation works for improving the supply during the drought and summer seasons for the TWAD maintained CWSS at an expected cost of Rs 100 crore, creation of rain water harvesting structures for improving the water resources and conservation in TWAD maintained CWSS at an approximate cost of Rs 50 crore are among the various works.
He said the rural local bodies require funds to the tune of Rs 448 crore to take up various drought mitigation works. "I request the Minister to support Tamil Nadu on a large scale to take up various water supply projects," the Minister urged.
Further, he demanded the Centre to sanction Rs 300 crore for establishment of Micro Composting Centres (MCC) during the year 2019-20 in order to take up ODF plus activities in 1,000 Peri-urban / bigger village panchayats.
