Pipeline work near Podanur railway station delays completion of Kurichi–Kuniyamuthur UGD project

The underground drainage (UGD) project in Kurichi and Kuniyamuthur in Coimbatore city has been delayed as the pipeline work near Podanur railway station is yet to be completed.

Launched in 2018 at ₹591 crore, the project was originally scheduled for completion in 2021. Nearly 99% of the work, including sewer lines, house service connections and road restoration, were completed. The remaining work is on the railway crossing stretch at Podanur.

The Tamil Nadu Water Supply and Drainage (TWAD) Board, Coimbatore Corporation and railway authorities are carrying out the final stage of the work, which includes an iron overbridge and an underground box culvert to support the pipeline.

According to officials, clearance from Southern Railways caused delays for more than two years. Of the 326 metres of pipeline to be laid on railway land, 52 metres will run overhead and the rest underground. Only 10 metres of work is yet to be completed. At present, 7,435 house service connections have been provided in the Kurichi area, with sewage being treated at the Vellalore sewage treatment plant, which has a capacity of 33.53 million litres per day.

Once the pipeline work on railway land is finished, connections for over 25,000 households will be taken up. Officials said this work alone will take around six months, after which the UGD network will become operational in wards 87 to 100 of the city.