CM Vijay Sets 5-Year Target for 24x7 Urban Water Supply and Canal Restoration
On Monday, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay directed officials to ensure uninterrupted 24x7 drinking water supply in all 25 municipal corporations within five years and ordered the environmental restoration of critical waterways, including the Buckingham canal in Adyar and the Cooum river.
During a review meeting of the municipal administration and water supply department at the secretariat, the Chief Minister assessed the progress of flagship state initiatives and centrally sponsored infrastructure schemes.
In addition to the round-the-clock water supply target for corporations, Chief Minister Vijay instructed officials to provide a minimum of three hours of daily water supply in all 146 municipalities and 479 town panchayats across the state within the same five-year timeframe.
To fund these extensive projects, officials informed the Chief Minister that the state could leverage the Union government's Urban Challenge Fund (UCF). Introduced in April 2026, the UCF will allow Tamil Nadu to execute urban infrastructure projects worth approximately Rs 30,000 crore. Vijay urged officials to prepare and implement these new projects under the UCF without delay and to complete all centrally funded schemes within their stipulated timelines.
As part of the urban overhaul, Chief Minister Vijay directed the preparation of a comprehensive urban infrastructure development plan. This plan is expected to integrate drinking water supply, underground sewerage, stormwater drains, transport, environmental protection, public health, and climate resilience.
The Chief Minister stressed that all municipal corporations must achieve 100% drinking water and sewerage connections. He strictly ordered that untreated sewage must not be allowed to enter local waterbodies. Furthermore, he called for the increased reuse of treated wastewater for industrial, commercial, park maintenance, and other non-potable purposes.
The meeting also reviewed the status of key state schemes, including the Urban Development Programme, Singara Chennai 2.0, and the Urban Roads Improvement Programme, alongside central programs like AMRUT, AMRUT 2.0, Jal Jeevan Mission, and SBM 2.0.
