Vellore Corporation Begins Issuing Household Drainage Connections Under AMRUT Project

The Hindu•Published: Oct 10, 2026 04:28 AM IST

The Vellore Corporation has officially begun providing individual drainage connections to households under the long-delayed Underground Drainage project. Commissioner A. Catherine Saranya confirmed that around 71,000 out of 1.41 lakh households will receive connections across phases 2 and 3 of the initiative.

AMRUT Initiative Funding: The multi-crore project is being implemented under the Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation 2016-17 across four distinct phases.
Extensive Infrastructure Built: The project features roughly 750 km of sewer lines, 16 pumping stations, and two large sewage treatment plants handling 60.5 MLD.
Flood Prevention Measures: Connecting households directly to the sewer network aims to stop wastewater discharge into stormwater drains and prevent monsoon inundation.
Flexible Payment Options: Each average connection costs around ₹7,000, with deposit amounts collected in installments via property tax additions.

The Context & Background

Proposed over a decade ago, the ₹1,000-crore undertaking has successfully tackled tricky engineering hurdles including railway crossings and national highway stretches. The infrastructure includes a 650-meter pipe-carrying bridge over the Palar river designed to safely transport sewage from 32 wards to the newly built Katpadi treatment plant.

Why it matters:This critical urban infrastructure upgrade will drastically improve public health and hygiene by eliminating illegal wastewater dumping into stormwater drains. Furthermore, keeping sewage out of rainwater channels protects Vellore from severe seasonal flooding while ensuring proper environmental management through advanced treatment plants.

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