MADURAI: Though not fully completed, the implementation of Mullai Periyar Drinking Water Project (under AMRUT scheme) has brought relief to people living in newly annexed areas of Madurai Corporation, including Avaniyapuram and Thiruparankundram.
There are a total of 2,86,208 individual house service connections across all the 100 wards in the city. According to corporation officials, nearly 1.5 lakh households are receiving water under the Mullai Periyar Drinking Water Project.
Launched in 2020, the Mullai Periyar project covers 194 District Metered Areas (DMA). It is expected to be completed by December 2025. Presently, water is supplied daily for two to three hours in about 38 to 40 wards out of the 100 wards in the corporation limits, while other wards are supplied water on alternate days.
The impact of the scheme is clearly evident in localities such as Avaniyapuram, where residents earlier had to wait three to four days for water supply.
"The prolonged issue has now been resolved and we get water daily. The quality of water from the new line is also better," said K. Usha, a resident.
Corporation commissioner Chitra Vijayan said construction of all 38 overhead tanks (OHT) has been completed, and SCADA system testing is underway.
"Over 1.5 lakh households are currently receiving water under the project. The remaining will be covered by December 2025. We are working to finish the project before the deadline," she said.
However, residents in some areas said several households were left out during initial line installations. Also, they flag complaints about leakage issues in the newly laid pipelines. Officials admitted there may be a few lapses and said corrective action is being taken.
"Once the project is completed, equal water pressure across lines will prevent leakage. We are also simultaneously fixing faulty connections.
Package four of the project has been 90% completed, while package five has crossed 50%. All works will be concluded before the deadline," a senior corporation official stated.
A review meeting was convened on Monday, in which officials were directed to expedite the pending work.
On an average, Madurai Corporation supplies 150 MLD water. The main sources are Vaigai Drinking Water Project I & II, bore wells in Manalur, Melkal, Thachambatu, Kochadai, Siddharum Natham and through the Tamil Nadu Drinking Water and Drainage Board Vaigai and Cauvery Combined Drinking Water Project.