Chennai to get Cauvery water by train from July 7
VELLORE: The works for transporting Cauvery water from Jolarpet to Chennai are being carried out on a war footing and the parched state capital is likely to get 10 million litres of water a day (10MLD) from July 7 if things fall in line as per the plans.
Pipes required for bringing water, to be drawn from a storage tank of Cauvery water located at Mettuchakkarakuppam under the Vellore Combined Drinking Water Supply Scheme, have been brought to the site and the works will start from Monday, according to sources.
A team of 15 engineers from Tamil Nadu Water Supply and Drainage (TWAD) Board and Chennai Metro Water Supply and Sewerage Board (CMWSSB) have been assigned to monitor the works.
“The works for laying pipeline from Mettuchakkarakuppam to the goods yard in Jolarpet railway station will begin on Monday. It will be carried out in swift manner so that we complete the works before the deadline,” a senior official of TWAD Board told Express on Sunday. He added, “As per the plans, we are working to start transporting water to Chennai from July 7.”
Ten MLD water will be moved to CMWSSB facility at Villivakkam through wagons from Jolarpet as per the announcement made by Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami. Fund to the tune of `65 crore was sanctioned for the water supply works.
The pipelines are being laid with a capacity to move 25 MLD water but only 10 MLD will be transported to Chennai, TWAD Board officials said. They added that it will take not less than 13 hours to fill the wagons with 10 MLD water pumped from the storage tank at Mettuchakkarakuppam.
The chief minister’s announcement on transporting water from Jolarpet to Chennai met with stiff resistance from DMK initially as the party’s treasurer Durai Murugan opposed the proposal saying it would deprive the people of Vellore their share but he retracted after drawing flak from AIADMK and the general public.