Tiruchi, July 26, 2013: Tiruchirapalli City Corporation has evolved a design to provide underground sewerage facility to the areas which have not been covered under the underground drainage scheme with a thrust on protecting the ramparts of Srirangam Sri Ranganathaswamy temple. The houses located in the three ‘prakaram’ zones – the V, VI and VII enclosures of the temple – were not included in the original scheme due to the presence of ramparts.

Each and every house had, at its backyard, allotted a space of six feet where the drainage channel had been set up and maintained by the corporation. Over the years, the ramparts had got weakened due to weather, thick growth of vegetation, and above all human vandalism.

Huge boulders kept crumbling over the past decade.

The damaged condition of the ramparts and the boulders strewn all over the area in Chithrai and Uthira streets pose a challenge. “The Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments department has planned to clear the boulders which had crumbled over the past several years. On clearing the boulders, the corporation will provide underground sewerage facility to all these areas,” said V. P. Thandapani, Corporation Commissioner.

He said that the corporation devised various plans to provide underground drainage facility to the omitted areas and the current one was considered most viable and safe. Explaining the salient features of the scheme, he said that normally separate pipelines should be buried for the sewage waters.

But, since the present drainage channels are located close to the ramparts, the corporation will set up a common pipeline for disposing of the sewage waters.

The State government had sanctioned Rs. 24 crore to set up UGSS under two methods - conventional type to a length of 19.85 km and a special design to a length of 8.90 km in the rampart area.

Two phases in the rampart area

The HR and CE has taken up renovation of the rampart walls and the work has been completed to a stretch of 1.95 km while the balance 6.95 km is to be renovated in course of time. The corporation has already taken initiative by calling for tenders for the work, he said.

“Pre-cast concrete channel type will be utilised to ensure adequate structural stability for a prolonged period,” Mr. Thandapani said. Layers of sand and gravel would be set up in this regard.

The work would be executed in two phases on 1.95 km where the ramparts had been renovated. Work would be taken up on 0.350 km in the first phase and on the balance 1.60 km in the second phase.

Source: The Hindu, July 26, 2013