RAMANATHAPURAM: Several thousand litres of precious water is leaking onto the road and into farm lands for the last two days from a pipeline near Kamuthi, leaving residents of the rainfed region worried amid rising mercury levels. TWAD officials, however, said they were only conducting a trial run and water supply has not started yet.
The combined water supply scheme was launched under the Jal Jeevan Mission to address water scarcity in Ramanathapuram district in May 2023 at an estimated cost of Rs 2,819.78 crore.
Water would be drawn from the Cauvery river near Nanjai Pugalur in Karur district. As part of the project, over 1,580 overhead tanks and an additional 825 storage units have been installed across the district, covering 2,306 villages. The pipeline-laying works have largely been completed and trial run is currently underway.
Residents of Kamuthi, Kadaladi, Sayalkudi and Kovilankulam have alleged that water has been leaking from the pipeline at multiple points along the Kamuthi-Sayalkudi road over the last two days.
"Several lakh litres of potable water is flowing on the road and into agricultural fields, where it has accumulated like ponds", said K Kannan from Kamudhi.
Locals allege that more than 500 villages are facing shortage even as water continues to be wasted.
When contacted, District Collector Simranjeet Singh Kahlon said the issue was being examined. "TWAD officials are on the job. It appears to be part of the trial run of the new pipeline, where pressure is being released through scour valves. We are checking the details and will address the issue at the earliest," he said. "It was part of the trial run of a new line, which is getting commissioned, and it is nothing abnormal. Water brought to Keelathooval today for the first time," he added.
