After nearly 18 years, Chennai will get drinking water by train in a couple of weeks. Chennai Metrowater is reviewing means to bring 10 million litres of water a day from Jolarpet in Vellore district, using a 50-wagon train.
Following Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami’s announcement about the ₹65-crore project, senior officials from the Tamil Nadu Water Supply and Drainage (TWAD) Board, Chennai Metrowater and Southern Railway conducted a survey on water resources in Jolarpet region to fetch water on Saturday.
Surplus water supplied through the Mettur combined drinking water scheme to Vellore will be diverted to Chennai.
Metrowater officials said TWAD had agreed to provide 25 mld of surplus water available. However, only 10 mld is being brought to Chennai due to issues of transportation.
On Saturday, the officials inspected the railway water supply line near Jolarpet railway station, an existing storage tank in Kethandapatti village near Jolarpet, and the Mettusakkarakuppam water sump. Infrastructure, such as laying of pipelines to transport treated water to the Jolarpet railway station and filling points need to be finalised.
The joint survey report would reach the Secretariat within a day or two and a decision would be arrived at thereafter, sources in Vellore district said.
Transport a big draw
The 50-wagon train would have to make four trips to transport 10 mld, officials said. The wagons have a capacity to carry nearly 2.6 million litres. They would be received at the railway line near North Jagannathan Nagar, Rajamangalam and decanted to a conduit line crossing nearby. The conduit line from Red Hills lake, which is now dry, would convey the water from Jolarpet to Kilpauk Water Works for treatment, officials added. It would be distributed to parts of North and Central Chennai up to Triplicane.
Nearly 80% of the project cost would be towards transportation and the remaining to create infrastructure in Jolarpet and revive infrastructure near Villivakkam.
It may be recalled that Chennai faced a similar situation in 2001 when water was brought from Erode by trains, officials added.
