MADURAI: Madurai corporation has released the tender for constructing underground drainage (sewerage) system in the left-out areas of the city in an effort to get things moving before the Lok Sabha election is declared. At least 60,000 new house connections are planned to be given under this system. According to the tender notification issued on Sunday, a total of 450 kilometre of underground drainage pipelines are planned to be laid in the north and south banks of Vaigai river at a cost of Rs 462 crore under Amrut 2.0 scheme.
Corporation officials told TOI that construction work will be completed in 36 months. The trial run of the system would be done for six months and maintenance will be carried out for the next 18 months by the contractor. In all, 210 kilometre of underground drainage pipelines will be laid in the leftout areas north of Vaigai river at a cost of Rs 167.76 crore. In the south of the river, pipelines will be laid for 283 kilometre at a cost of Rs 269.46 crore.
A senior corporation official said that 490 kilometre of roads in 39 wards of the city will be covered in the proposed sewerage network in the leftout areas. Four new pumping stations will be constructed south of Vaigai and one north of Vaigai. There will be 7,305 manholes. Asked if a new STP will not be needed due to the excess waste generated after the proposed drainage system is completed, the official said that if required one will be constructed north of Vaigai river.
“Bids will be opened in mid-March and once the work is tendered out, the contractor can make minor changes in the design of the sewerage system in the first three months. Once it is completed, work will start before the rainy season. If the election dates are announced before the bid is opened, then the project may be delayed,” added the official.
At present, the underground sewerage network covers a total of 851 kilometre of city roads while pipeline laying work is being carried out in 335 kilometre under Amrut scheme. Around 500 kilometre of roads have an open drainage system. A total of 29 pumping stations and two sewage treatment plants (STP) are there in the city limits to treat the sewage water. The STP at Sakkimangalam with a capacity to treat 46mld of waste caters to the north side of Vaigai while the one at Avaniyapuram with a capacity of 125mld treats waste collected from the south side.
