24X7 water supply and ‘no flooding’ are priorities for Cuddalore Mayor

‘Drains will be repaired and reconstructed to prevent water stagnation; 46 acres identified at Vellapakkam for a landfill’

A week after taking over as the first Mayor of Cuddalore, Sundari Raja is busy interacting with citizens at her office.

She has her task cut out. “People have high expectations from the Corporation. They want a clean city with adequate amenities. It is our prime responsibility,” she says in an interview to TheHindu here.

“Augmenting water sources, introducing 24x7 water supply to all wards and making Cuddalore a ‘no-flooding’ city are my top priorities,” she adds.

Ms. Raja has planned to visit all wards to come to grips with the issues faced by the residents.

As the city is getting flooded every year, a plan will be readied to make Cuddalore a ‘no-flooding’ area. “The drains will be repaired and reconstructed to prevent water stagnation,” she says.

Solid waste management is a major issue, she says, and the civic body will execute a project to achieve the goal of a clean and no-waste zone. The Corporation has identified 46 acres at Vellapakkam near here for a landfill and waste segregation. The households will be asked to segregate waste at source.

Acknowledging the water crisis, Ms. Raja points out that the recommended per capita consumption of water is 135 lpcd (litres per capita per day) for all houses, but the supply is 93 lpcd. “We will chalk out a plan to augment water sources by repairing the groundwater aquifers at Keppar Malai and sinking more borewells to supply safe drinking water to all wards.”