TWAD is rebuilding a key water pipe in Vellore’s Old Town to restore water supply

TWAD officials said the reconstruction of the water pipes on the Old Bypass Road, which is maintained by the state highways, was aimed at providing enough space to lay the foundation pillars for the road bridge being built by the Southern Railway.

Regular supply of drinking water to household consumers within Vellore Corporation limits will resume from Monday (June 8) as the Tamil Nadu Water Supply and Drainage Board (TWAD) on Sunday completed the reconstruction of key water pipes on the Old Bypass Road near the Fort complex in the Old City.

TWAD officials said the reconstruction of the water pipeline on the Old Bypass Road, which is maintained by the state highways, was meant to provide enough space for laying the foundation pillars for the under-construction Road Over Bridge (ROB) of the Southern Railway.

Repairing the decades-old pipeline would help prevent water leaks along the route. Consumers in the end areas will get a sufficient supply of water by preventing such seepage. “Water supply by TWAD remains a major component in meeting the domestic water requirement within the society’s limits. Local water sources are also tapped to meet the water needs,” R. Lakshman, Commissioner, Vellore Corporation, told The Hindu.

TWAD officials said that the existing water pipeline from the Muthu Mandapam near the Chennai-Bengaluru Expressway (NH 48) bus stand on the banks of the Palaru was connected to two large water pumping stations in the Old City. The pumping station at Filter Bed Road has a capacity of 39 million liters of water and another pumping station at Allapuram can store 15 million liters of water.

The two pumping stations help meet the water needs of almost half of the entire population in the corporation, which covers 60 wards in four zones with a population of around eight million. “Due to the arid area, Vellore faces water scarcity especially in summer. Water supplied by the city body remains a key source of water for the city’s residents,” said R. Prema, a resident of the city.

TWAD officials said that as part of the realignment work, 700 mm of pipe was moved to the far end of the section, which is 40 feet wide. Previously, these pipes were located in the middle of the section. In other words, the pipe has been shifted 7.5 meters on the section to provide space for laying the foundation piers for the bridge work. The realignment of the pipeline was carried out to a distance of approx. 120 meters on the section.

Corporation officials said that rerouting the pipeline, especially at the extreme end of the stretch, will also help carry out pipeline repairs in an isolated manner without disrupting traffic on the route. The damaged section due to pipeline work will be re-laid by TWAD before handing over to state highways.

Civic officials said that at present the total water consumption of the civic body is 83 MLD per day. Of this, TWAD alone provides around 63 MLD every day. Local water sources including borewells in Otteri lake and Ponnai river bed are tied up to meet the shortage of water for daily consumption.

Published – 07 Jun 2026 21:03 IST