Municipal minister SP Velumani instructs officials to ensure water supply

Chennai: Municipal administration and rural administration minister S.P. Velumani on Tuesday gave instruction to officials to ensure uninterrupted and adequate supply of drinking water to the public in the wake of failed South West and North East monsoons in the state.

After chairing a review meeting on the status of drinking water supply in all the corporations, municipalities and town panchayats at Chennai Metropolitan Drinking Water Supply and Sewerage Board here, the minister asked the officials to take steps on war footing to ensure adequate supply of drinking water to all the public.

As far as the city water supply is concerned, he directed the metro water officials to plan to distribute drinking water to all parts of the city corporation. "Steps should be taken to identify agricultural wells for drawing water for the drinking water purpose. Besides, high powered motor pumpsets should be used to draw water from waterbodies," he said, urging the officials to ensure 100 per cent operation of the desalination plants.

The minister asked the officials to take steps to identify the public wells that were not in use and make them fit for consumption. The areas that did not have piped water supply should be provided water through lorries and, particularly, poor people residing areas should be provide adequate supply of water. He also directed the officials to increase operation of more number of water tankers besides increasing its number of trips.

Mr Velumani directed the officials to ensure proper functioning of all the water distribution infrastructures and to make sure quality of water in the borewells. He also wanted the officials to make sure no water go waste and take strict action on those using motor pump sets to draw water from the piped water supply connection.