GPS to monitor Corporation water trucks in Madurai

As a step to prevent fraudulences in the supply of drinking water, GPS is fixed in corporation water trucks for the first time in Madurai.

There have been frequent complaints to corporation officials about the intermittent water supply. The public petitioned that the water trucks sell water to private companies for money and the drinking water supply is not available regularly in many areas.

As a measure to fix this situation, GPS tools are fixed in drinking water trucks and tractors to regulate and keep a check over the water distribution in Madurai. This move has garnered much of public support in Madurai.

The GPS tools are placed on behalf of the private company headquartered in Coimbatore. A monthly amount of Rs 1 lakh is spent for this. With the help of these tools, all the information including the route and area of delivery of the drinking water vehicles can be easily tracked.

Under the order of Corporation Commissioner Vishakan, employees have been appointed to monitor the supply of water. Online requests on water supply to specific areas are received by the truck drivers and acted upon accordingly.

About 16 groups have been set up to monitor drinking water supply in Madurai. There are 4 people actively monitoring each zone. Water leakage in drinking water pipes are noticed regularly and corrected. New pipes are fitted to provide sufficient drinking water in pressurized areas.

The Corporation of Madurai has 100 wards. Drinking water is supplied through pipelines in 76 wards. To the remaining 24 wards, water is supplied by water trucks. Vaigai dam is the source of drinking water in Madurai. About 30 cubic feet of water is opened from the dam daily to provide water to the city pipelines. The dam water is purified before sending it to the city pipelines.

Arasaradi hydropower station supplies water to the entire Madurai city through 36 trucks and 25 tractors. Each vehicle supplies water to people 10 times a day.

As much as 170 million litres of drinking water is needed daily in Madurai. About 115 million litres of water through the Vaigai dam, 11 million litres of water through the Cauvery joint drinking water project and 44 million litres of water from deep wells are taken to meet the daily requirements.

The Vaigai Dam currently has a water reserve of 31.59 feet. There will be no shortage of drinking water until the month of August in Madurai. The Corporation Commissioner Vishakan has said that due to rains in the water storing areas in Madurai there will be no drinking water problem in the city.