Vijay launches ₹3,108-cr. ring main pipeline project for equitable drinking water supply

Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay on Wednesday laid the foundation stone for a ring main pipeline system, a project to interlink various water sources in Chennai at a cost of ₹3,108.55 crore.

The project aims at ensuring an equitable and uninterrupted supply of drinking water to residents of the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) area.

It is being implemented by the Chennai Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (CMWSSB).

Mr. Vijay launched the closed circular loop project at the Chennai Metrowater pumping station in Sholinganallur.

According to an official release, the city’s major water sources include Puzhal, Cholavaram, Veeranam, Chembarambakkam, Thervoy Kandigai-Kannankottai and Poondi reservoirs, and Krishna river. Water from these sources is being treated at the treatment plants in Puzhal, Surapet, Kilpauk, Chembarambakkam and Veeranam.

The supply infrastructure also includes a desalination plant at Minjur and two desalination plants at Nemmeli.

From these sources, the CMWSSB currently supplies 1,260 million litres per day (MLD) of treated and safe drinking water through 143 distribution stations to meet the needs of approximately 91 lakh people in the GCC area.

At present, the infrastructure is designed to supply water from individual treatment plants to designated areas of the city through primary pipelines. However, there is no adequate alternative arrangement to supply water if a disruption occurs at any of the water sources or treatment facilities.

To address this issue, the project will interconnect all nine treatment facilities in the city — five water treatment plants, three desalination plants, and the 400 MLD desalination plant being constructed at Perur.

Financial aid

The project, being implemented with financial assistance from the Asian Development Bank, involves the laying of 91.2 km of interconnected pipelines, 64.2 km of water transmission pipelines, and 2.65 km of pumping mains.

Instruments to measure water pressure, flow, and quality at treatment plants and distribution stations, along with Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition systems, will also be installed as part of the project to enable continuous monitoring from the control room at the Chennai Metrowater headquarters.

Ministers N. Anand, Aadhav Arjuna, P. Venkataramanan, Rajmohan, N. Marie Wilson and R. Kumar; Additional Chief Secretary to the Municipal Administration and Water Supply Department Gagandeep Singh Bedi, senior officials, and MLAs were present at the launch.

Flood mitigation

Later, the Chief Minister also inspected the ongoing flood mitigation measures at Okiyam Maduvu in Karapakkam.

According to an official release, Mr. Vijay instructed officials to expedite the ongoing works.