Vellore Corporation starts providing sewerage connections to households in the city

Vellore Corporation officials are distributing application forms to residents for provision of sewerage connections to households in Vellore city. | Photo credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

More than a decade after it was proposed, the ₹1,000-crore Underground Drainage (UGD) project in Vellore city has taken root as the Vellore Corporation begins the process of providing sewerage connections to individual households.

Company officials said the multi-crore project was implemented under Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) 2016-17 in four phases. “The corporation has started providing sewerage connections to households in the areas under phase 2 and 3 of the UGD project. Most of the areas will be covered by these two phases of work,” A. Catherine Saranya, Commissioner, Vellore Corporation, told The Hindu.

Corporation officials said that out of 1.41 lakh households in the city, around 71,000 will be provided with sewerage connections under phases 2 and 3 of the project. Areas like Alamelumangapuram, Sathuvacari, Shenbakkam, Konavattam, Kaspa and Velapadi will be covered. “The connections provided to households under the UGD project will prevent sewage from being discharged into storm drains. It will also help improve sanitation in the area,” resident S. Padma said.

Divided into four phases, the project covers approximately 750 km of sewer lines, 16 pumping and pumping stations and two large WWTPs. Tricky places including 32 km on service lane of Chennai-Bengaluru Highway (NH 48), 16 level crossings and stretches of national highway (7 km) have been completed.

Sewage treatment plants have been constructed at Muthu Mandapam near the new bus stand and at Sarkar Thoppu near Katpadi to handle a minimum of 60.5 MLD. The civic association built a 650-meter-long pipe bridge along the Palar River to carry domestic sewage from 32 townships, mostly from the Old Town areas, to the newly constructed STP near Katpadi. The bridge is being built 20 feet above the riverbed to prevent flooding during the monsoon. The new VTP has a capacity of 50 MLD.

Civic officials said the new sewerage network would help prevent Vellore city from flooding during the monsoon as sewage from houses would now be discharged into the sewerage network.

In other words, the illegal discharge of sewage into the storm drains would stop, allowing free flow of excess rain water in the drains to be discharged into the Palar River.

Company officials said that each household connection would cost around ₹7,000 on an average. However, the deposit amount would be collected in installments from the consumers after adding to the property tax.

Published – 10 Oct 2026 04:28 IST