Indian Institute of Technology Madras has joined hands with Chennai Petroleum Corporation Limited (CPCL) to provide Solar Power, Safe Drinking Water and create better sanitation conditions in the villages of Vellalapakkam, Gopurajapuram and Panangudi Villages in Nagapattinam district. The project will be executed over the next 24 months in coordination with the State Government at an estimated total cost of Rs. 14.49 crore.
IIT Madras will also work towards constructing Reverse Osmosis (RO) Plants and Drinking Water distribution systems in the village schools/Anganwadis, rejuvenating and rehabilitating the water bodies. The institute will also improve the pedagogy and infrastructure in all the village schools/Anganwadi. Solar Power for Households, Compost yard construction, skill development, and health care activities would also be undertaken.
This will only be done in the coming few months after a survey is conducted in the villages. IIT Madras will conduct the topographical survey to study the area and ground levels for designing Water Distribution System. It will also assess the pond and conduct water quality testing, estimate the yield of wells in the area and carry out an electrical resistivity survey to design borewells. A social survey would also be conducted in the project to obtain the feedback from people in the area and obtain their cooperation.
Prof Ligy Philip and Prof B.S. Murty, Department of Civil Engineering, IIT Madras, have already visited the villages along with CPCL officials to ascertain the requirements and begin planning the project. They also held consultations with CPCL officials on the requirements for the project.
"First we will begin with toilet construction in the villages at the houses that already don't have one, then we will go on to proper sewage treatment and solid waste management. Surveys are being conducted to collect data as to what is available, what is the water condition and the households," says Prof Ligy Philip.
She adds "Once the surveys are done and we have obtained proper data, we will begin to design appropriate systems for helping them. As far as schools and anganwadis are concerned, we will decide if we employ reverse osmosis or any other procedure depending on the quality of water in the area."
The MoU was signed on June 21. Ligy says they have a meeting scheduled for June 29, following which they will begin the entire process.
Welcoming the contribution of IIT Madras, Mr. Rajeev Ailawadi, Director (Finance), CPCL, said, “We expect the project to be one of the showcase CSR Projects of CPCL and we assure that CPCL will provide all support required to IIT Madras towards its execution.”
During the initial surveys, which has already been conducted, it was found that many toilets in the households of the region were soak pits, which was an environmental hazard as the output will contaminate the groundwater. IIT Madras has recommended converting all such toilets in the villages to septic tank-based treatment that would cause less harm.
IIT Madras will also execute a household level Rainwater Harvesting System at a cost of Rs. 60 lakh and cover around 600 households in the region. This will mitigate, to some extent, the seawater intrusion during rains and improve the quality of groundwater quality. Excess rainwater can be guided to the water bodies adjacent to the villages.
