CM Vijay orders ₹340 crore allocation to augment drinking water supply amid deficient southwest monsoon rainfall
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay has ordered the allocation of ₹340 crore to augment drinking water sources across the State to ensure there
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay has ordered the allocation of ₹340 crore to augment drinking water sources across the State to ensure there is no shortage of drinking water in view of the deficient rainfall recorded during the southwest monsoon season. An official release issued on Friday said, of the total allocation, ₹330 crore has been earmarked for Municipal Administration and Water Supply Department and the Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Department to improve water sources and supply drinking water through tankers, while ₹10 crore has been sanctioned for the Animal Husbandry Department to ensure adequate availability of livestock fodder. The Chief Minister also directed senior IAS officers appointed as monitoring officers for various districts to visit their respective districts, review the prevailing situation, and ensure there is no shortage of drinking water.
He also directed District Collectors to conduct weekly review meetings every Monday on drinking water supply and other essential needs and take immediate action to prevent any shortage of drinking water. Vijay chaired a review meeting at the Secretariat in Chennai on Friday to assess the rainfall received during the southwest monsoon so far, the situation in districts that recorded deficient rainfall, drinking water supply in rural and urban areas, the progress of Kuruvai cultivation, distribution of the Kuruvai Special Package, availability of fodder for livestock, and the implementation of drinking water supply and other essential schemes. According to the release, the southwest monsoon rainfall received in Tamil Nadu from June 1 to July 31 has been below normal.
Rainfall was 19 % to 59 % below normal in 20 districts such as Chennai, Cuddalore, Kallakurichi, Kancheepuram, Madurai, Mayiladuthurai, Nagapattinam, Namakkal, the Nilgiris, Karur, Ranipet, Salem, Thoothukudi, Tirupathur, Tiruvallur, Tiruvarur, Tiruvannamalai, Villupuram, Vellore and Tiruppur. Chengalpattu and Ramanathapuram districts recorded rainfall deficits of more than 60%. In view of the prevailing situation, the Chief Minister instructed officials to strengthen drinking water sources by desilting existing borewells, sinking new borewells, renovating infiltration wells at headworks, replacing damaged electrical cables, repairing transformers, replacing valves and other equipment to address disruptions caused by power outages, replacing old pumps, changing damaged pipelines, and supplying drinking water through tankers wherever necessary, the release said.
The BriefWire