COIMBATORE: Eight water treatment plants set up for the purpose of treating bore well water for drinking purpose in Annur block are defunct for the last two years, residents alleged and appealed to the district administration to restore them.
But DRDA officials claim they are not aware that the plants have not been put to use though it was the agency which installed them in 2019. The District Rural Development Agency had set up water treatment plants at Pillayappanpalayam, Karagoundenpalayam panchayats etc to clean water drawn from bore wells in the block to supplement water supplied under the Pillur scheme. Each water treatment plant was set up at a cost of Rs 10 lakh in 2019 in order to treat water for 2000 liters per hour. Villagers pointed out that the plants have been idle.
S Saravanan, a social activist from Annur block said, “Villages situated in the path of drinking water project pipelines are getting water regularly. Many of189 villages in 21panchayats were getting water for once in ten days.”
“To sort out the issue and supply the drinking water after getting from bore well, the treatment plant were constructed by DRDA. However, all of them have been kept idle,” he added. When contacted P Alarmelmangai, Project Director of DRDA, “It was not brought to our knowledge. After inspecting the plants, action would be taken.”