₹591-crore UGSS for Kurichi, Kuniyamuthur in Coimbatore completed; 3.92 lakh people to benefit

The underground sewerage scheme (UGSS) for Kurichi and Kuniyamuthur, areas newly added to the Coimbatore Corporation, has been completed and is ready for inauguration by the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister, with about 3.92 lakh people set to benefit.

According to the Corporation officials, the ₹591.14-crore project was announced during 2017–18 and covers Wards 87 to 100. Administrative sanction was first accorded through Government Order No. 111 dated October 25, 2017, and was later revised under Government Order No. 43 dated February 28, 2019.

The project is funded through multiple sources, with the Asian Development Bank contributing ₹289.75 crore, the Government of India ₹145.86 crore, the Tamil Nadu government ₹88.40 crore, and the Coimbatore Corporation ₹67.13 crore.

Designed in 2020 with a 30-year planning horizon, the scheme factors in population growth up to 2050, with the system is designed to handle 53.07 MLD for an estimated population of 5.17 lakh.

The project comprises a sewer network spanning 390.19 km, with about 16,200 manholes and 41,318 house service connections. Sewage is collected through 15 pumping stations and conveyed through 48.69 km of pumping mains to a 30-million-litres-a-day sewage treatment plant established on the Vellalore dumpyard premises. The sewer network has been laid using a mix of UPVC, double-walled corrugated (DWC), and cast iron (CI) pipes, depending on load and depth requirements.

The treatment plant uses Sequential Batch Reactor (SBR) technology, and treated sewage is discharged into River Noyyal.

The officials said that road restoration works covering about 330 km were also completed as part of the project. The annual operation and maintenance cost of the system has been estimated at ₹1.30 crore, with a per capita cost of ₹43.62.