Small cities and towns in Tamil Nadu are to get modern drinking water facilities with Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa announcing projects totalling over Rs 3,000 crore including two desalination plants in south Tamil Nadu.

She also announced municipal solid waste management projects to generate biogas to feed street lights in a number of towns.

In a suo motu statement in the Assembly, the Chief Minister said two 100 million litre a day desalination plants to convert sea water to drinking water will be set up in Ramanathapuram and Tuticorin district. These projects will address the water shortage and drinking water quality issues in the region. The desalination plants will be along the lines of the projects in Chennai.

Jayalalithaa also announced integrated drinking water projects at Dindigul at a cost of Rs 450 crore using water from the Cauvery river; a Rs 125 crore project in Thanjavur with water sourced from the Coleroon; a Rs 114.25 crore project at Coimbatore using water from the Bhavani; a Rs 76.44 crore project in Tiruppur with water from Cauvery; and a Rs 32 crore project in Tiruchi with water sourced from the Cauvery.

These integrated drinking water projects will be taken up in the current year, she said.

Also, water project with external funding of over Rs 227 crore will be taken up in Tirunelveli city and in Arni, Thiruvathipuram and Periyakulam towns.

The Chief Minister also announced plans to introduce biogas powered streetlights.

Five tonnes of organic waste can generate over 440 units of electricity which can power 750 streetlights for 12 hours.

Such projects will come up in five cities – Tiruchi, Tiruppur, Erode, Salem and Tiruneliveli – and in 24 towns at a cost of Rs 27 crore.

> balaji.ar@thehindu.co.in