CHENNAI: The state government has sanctioned `288.97 crore from the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) to ensure continuous drinking water supply across the state in view of the deficient rainfall recorded during the southwest monsoon season.
As per the government order issued by the Revenue and Disaster Management department on Thursday, the funds would be used for various projects through the Tamil Nadu Water Supply and Drainage (TWAD) Board, Rural Development and Panchayat Raj department, Directorate of Town Panchayats, and Directorate of Municipal Administration.
Of the total amount, `58.55 crore has been allocated for the TWAD Board to improve water supply under the Combined Water Supply Scheme (CWSS) in Vellore, Thanjavur, Coimbatore, Madurai, Theni, Pudukkottai and Ramanathapuram.
The works include drilling new borewells, desilting infiltration wells, cleaning collector wells, replacing cables and connecting mains, and installing servo transformers.
The Rural Development and Panchayat Raj department has been allocated `36.64 crore to pay for completed essential drinking water supply works in 22 hydrologically drought affected districts, including Ariyalur, Coimbatore, Cuddalore, Dharmapuri, Dindigul, Karur, and Salem, among others. These works were taken up by the department after the government assured the funds could be claimed on completion of the works.
The Directorate of Town Panchayats has been sanctioned `96.41 crore following a comprehensive assessment identified drinking water requirements in 479 town panchayats, where drought mitigation measures have been proposed.
The Directorate of Municipal Administration has been allotted `97.36 crore, including `57.07 crore for corporations and `40.28 crore for municipalities, to augment water sources and create associated infrastructure in urban local bodies affected by the dry spell. The order said the expenditure would be placed before the legislative assembly through the supplementary estimates for 2026-27.