Daily water supply under Mullaperiyar scheme begins in 35 Madurai wards

Madurai: Daily drinking water supply commenced in about 35 wards of Madurai city under the Mullaperiyar combined drinking water scheme, marking a major shift from the once-a-week or twice-a-week supply that residents were receiving during trial runs. Residents are now getting water for two hours every morning.Of the corporation's 100 wards, household connections were completed in 65, while work is progressing in the remaining wards and at a few overhead tanks. A senior corporation official said that more than 95% of the work under package 4 was completed, and most of the residential areas in the west, east, and north zones where trial runs were held have now moved to regular daily supply.The official added that each household currently receives about 100 litres of water per day, which will gradually be increased to 135 litres per day. "We are receiving around 100 MLD (million litres per day) from the Mullaperiyar project at present. Over time, the supply will be scaled up to the promised 135 MLD," the official said.Trial runs that began in March were carried out ward by ward across more than 65 wards before daily supply was initiated. Officials admitted that a few households in areas such as DRO Colony, Officer Colony, and some parts of the north zone continue to face intermittent supply due to leakages detected during testing. "These issues will be rectified soon," said the official.Work is also being expedited under package 5 of the project to extend household connections in core city areas. Officials said about 70% of the work was completed in these areas. "Connections to core city households will be completed by the end of 2025," an official stated. However, they acknowledged delays in connecting some households due to problems with feeder mains. A senior official, requesting anonymity, said some feeder mains laid two years ago were damaged during other infrastructure works and had to be replaced, causing setbacks.To further strengthen supply, corporation has decided to integrate resources from other schemes. Five tanks constructed under the Cauvery integrated water supply scheme have been linked with tanks built under the AMRUT project. Officials said the move is expected to address shortages in the west and east zones. "Since the Cauvery scheme often provides limited water, many residents in these zones face difficulties. By interlinking these tanks, we will be able to bridge the gap using Mullaperiyar water," the official added.