TIRUNELVELI/TENKASI: Amid mounting complaints from people that the quality of drinking water being supplied under various Combined Water Supply Schemes (CWSSs) in some southern districts is not good, it has come to light that the Tamil Nadu Water Supply and Drainage (TWAD) Board is drawing water directly from the Thamirabarani river instead of sourcing it through infiltration wells dug along the river bed.
Infiltration well is a structure which removes impurities from water. A visit by TNIE to Mukkudal, from where drinking water is supplied to Tirunelveli, Tenkasi and Virudhunagar districts, revealed that a portion of water supplied under the Vasudevanallur (Tenkasi) CWSS and Rajapalayam (Virudhunagar) CWSS is being drawn directly from the river.
Around six huge submersible motors were immersed in the river near the Mukkudal bridge---- where local residents routinely wash clothes, bathe, clean themselves after open defecation, and dump household waste — to extract river water for supply to over 100 villages. In addition, many infiltration wells located at Mukkudal were found damaged.
One such well, situated near the Muthumalai Amman temple, where tourists bathe using soap and shampoo, receives water directly from the river. This contaminated water enters the damaged wells, from which raw water is being drawn under the CWSS network and supplied to residents without treatment.
Sources told TNIE that, apart from Vasudevanallur and Rajapalayam, raw river water is being supplied under other CWSSs in Mukkudal. “The infiltration well for the Kadayanallur scheme was deliberately damaged by a TWAD Board contractor, enabling direct flow of river water into it. The practices similar to Mukkudal are followed in Seevalaperi and a few spots in Thoothukudi,” said an official.
A few weeks ago, eight residents of Vallanadu in Thoothukudi were hospitalised allegedly after consuming water directly from the Thamirabarani river. Also, the residents of Tirunelveli and Tenkasi districts frequently complain of the supply of polluted water. When contacted, TWAD executive engineer Athi Narayanan admitted that a portion of the water supplied under Rajapalayam and Vasudevanallur CWSS is drawn directly from the river in violation of TWAD norms. “It is temporary, not permanent,” he said.
When asked about the health implications, he said, “The waste in the raw water is filtered during its travel through the pipeline. For example, the water travels nearly 40 km before reaching villages under the Vasudevanallur CWSS. Also, chlorination is done before supply,” he added.
Minister for Municipal Administration and Water Supply Department K N Nehru said he will inspect the CWSS activities in the Thamirabarani river bed. “In the Ariyanayagipuram scheme, water is treated before supply to Tirunelveli corporation. Supply of sand-mixed water was reported in years-old Manapadaiveedu scheme. All officials will visit Manapadaiveedu and Mukkudal areas on Monday,” he assured.