Date:07/01/2009 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2009/01/07/stories/2009010757510500.htm
Back



Tamil Nadu

Not many takers for treated water

Staff Reporter

Photo: M. Balaji

Unpopular? The New Tirupur Area Development Corporation Ltd. water project in Tirupur. –

Tirupur: The New Tirupur Area Development Corporation Limited has chalked out plans to tap newer markets for the treated water produced under its Tirupur Water Supply and Sanitation Project in Coimbatore and Perundurai areas, owing to low off take in the city, according to K.Phanindra Reddy, Managing Director, NTADCL.

He told reporters here on Monday that the move was necessitated to ensure optimum use of the project capacity, as the penetration rate presently stands at just over 55 per cent.

The project was actually designed to supply 185 mld of water to Tirupur Local Planning Area comprising the city, 15 village panchayats and three town panchayats.

“At the moment, we are supplying on an average of 42 mld to industries and a total of 47 mld to households in Tirupur city limits and 736 habitations located alongside the distribution line between the headwork and the city,” he said.

The average spillage rate stands at another 11 mld.

He said that owing to low off-take, the NTADCL had registered an accumulated loss of Rs. 143 crore since the project got commissioned in 2005. “Despite losses, the Corporation have kept the water charges for domestic users very low through cross subsidisation,” he added.

As part of area expansion scheme, the NTADCL aims to supply one mld of water to consumers in SIPCOT Industrial Estate premises at Perundurai for the time being, starting January 12, and later 15 mld once the expansion works at the estate had been completed.

Similarly, efforts would be taken to generate customers along Coimbatore industrial belt for another 30 mld of treated water produced.

© Copyright 2000 - 2009 The Hindu