Tamil Nadu Allocates ₹288.97 Crore to Strengthen Drinking-Water Supply During Dry Spell
Chennai: Tamil Nadu has sanctioned ₹288.97 crore from the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) for drinking-water interventions following deficient rainfall during the southwest monsoon season. The funding is intended to support measures aimed at maintaining water availability in areas experiencing dry conditions.
The allocation will be implemented through the Tamil Nadu Water Supply and Drainage (TWAD) Board, Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Department, Directorate of Town Panchayats and Directorate of Municipal Administration. Projects range from strengthening existing water sources to repairing and expanding associated supply infrastructure.
The TWAD Board has been allocated ₹58.55 crore for works under Combined Water Supply Schemes in Vellore, Thanjavur, Coimbatore, Madurai, Theni, Pudukkottai and Ramanathapuram. Proposed interventions include new borewells, desilting of infiltration wells, cleaning of collector wells, replacement of electrical cables, improvements to connecting mains and installation of servo transformers.
Another ₹36.64 crore has been allocated through the Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Department for essential drinking-water works already undertaken in 22 districts identified as hydrologically affected by drought conditions. These include districts such as Ariyalur, Coimbatore, Cuddalore, Dharmapuri, Dindigul, Karur and Salem.
The Directorate of Town Panchayats will receive ₹96.41 crore following an assessment of drinking-water requirements across 479 town panchayats. Meanwhile, the Directorate of Municipal Administration has been allocated ₹97.36 crore, including ₹57.07 crore for municipal corporations and ₹40.28 crore for municipalities, to augment water sources and associated urban infrastructure.
The programme focuses primarily on short- and medium-term supply resilience rather than creation of entirely new bulk-water systems. Its effectiveness will depend on source sustainability, groundwater conditions, maintenance of pumping and electrical equipment, and the ability of local bodies to operate the additional infrastructure throughout the dry period.