Corporation setting up water treatment plant at Manaloor.

Foundation stone was laid for setting up a water treatment plant at Manaloor recently.

The Madurai Corporation has taken up this project at a cost of Rs. 3.7 crore and the proposed treatment plant will have capacity to filter 4.5 million litres per day.

Mayor V.V. Rajan Chellappa and Commissioner C. Kathiravan, along with senior officials, took part in the ;bhoomi puja.'

Speaking on the occasion, the Mayor said that the State government had allotted Rs. 16.40 crore under the Integrated Urban Development Mission to take up pipeline repair, pumping station and water treatment works in Tiruppavanam and Manaloor drinking water supply scheme, which benefits many extension areas of the city. The scheme came into being in 1983.

According to City Engineer A. Mathuram, a new water treatment plant became essential in Manaloor since lab tests indicated that water supplied from the pumping house contained mild level of impurities.

'The treatment plant will have two filter houses, aeration tank and aerated water channel. There is a two lakh litre capacity sump. Impurities will be removed and clean drinking water will be supplied to residents living on the eastern side of Madurai,' he added.

The areas which will benefit from the water treatment plant include Viraganoor, Anuppanadi, Iravathanallur, Teachers' Colony, Melamadai and Teppakulam.

Mr. Mathuram said that the plant would be ready in one year and the corporation had decided to focus on Manaloor since it was a main Vaigai riverbed water source.

Renovation of existing water supply network would also be undertaken.

Two earth movers have been pressed into service to carry out digging work. K. Shanmughavalli, zone-3 chairperson, Chellappa, Assistant Commissioner, and S. Arasu, Executive Engineer, were among those who took part in the bhoomi puja.


THE HINDU