Tamil Nadu to set up worth about Rs 800 crore drinking water projects

CHENNAI: The Tamil Nadu government today proposed drinking water supply projects to the tune of nearly Rs 800 crore, including desalination plants for Ramanathapuram and Tuticorin districts.

With local water resources dwindling and 'unreliable', there was a need for such desalination plants, Chief Minister Jayalalithaa said in a suo motu statement in the assembly.

She announced two 100 Million Litres a Day (MLD) desalination plants for the districts due to the "unreliable" nature and quality issues on groundwater resources there.

Further, she announced a series of combined drinking water supply schemes, including one for Dindigul district.

Cauvery river water would be used for this Rs 450 crore project that would benefit 5.62 lakh persons in Dindigul district, she said.

Jayalalithaa announced similar projects for Thanjavur, Coimbatore, Tirupur, Erode and Tircuhirappalli, using waters of Cauvery, Bhavani and Collidam for various districts.

All these projects would be taken up in the current year, she added.

Moreover, since 40-60 per cent of waste collected in local bodies are bio-degradable, government would encourage power production from solid waste, she said.

Plants would be set up in five corporations and 24 municipalities at a cost of Rs 27 crore to produce power from solid waste, she said.

She also proposed upgrading the Thanjavur and Dindugul municipalities to Corporations due to the growing population, increasing revenue and other administrative reasons.