NAGAPATTINAM: A technical malfunction in the machinery pumping River Kollidam water to Nagapattinam has reduced the municipal water supply by nearly 30%. Tamil Nadu Water Supply and Drainage (TWAD) board is currently repairing one of the horizontal split case pumps at the Velipalayam pumping station, which serves Nagapattinam, Nagore, Velankanni and surrounding panchayats.
Nagapattinam municipality, which depends on the Kollidam Combined Drinking Water Supply Scheme due to saline groundwater, typically receives water from collector wells in Thanjavur.
According to sources, of the two horizontal split case (HSC) motor pumps, with 20 HP power and 2339 litre/min pumping capacity, at the Velipalayam pumping station, one of them is under maintenance. Around 5.85 million litres per day (MLD) is supplied to 24,000 households in Nagapattinam municipality, with the main pumping station supplying 2.85 MLD.
But the output from the head pumping station has been reduced to 1.4 MLD. Besides, the demand per individual is 135 litres per capita per day (LPCD). Currently, the municipality is only supplying 56 LPCD since the water supply has been hit, officials said.
“The technical issue has impacted supply by at least 1 MLD, but we are managing to prevent an acute crisis. We’ve requested prompt repairs,” municipality commissioner T Leena Simon said. On Wednesday, Collector P Akash inspected the Velipalayam station and instructed TWAD engineers to expedite the repair works.