KOLLAM: Water Resources Minister N.K. Premachandran has said the Chavara-Panmana Total Drinking Water Scheme will be commissioned this month itself. He was talking to presspersons after inspecting the trial run of the scheme at Panmana Kolathumukku on Friday. Mr. Premachandran said the scheme would cover 23 wards each in Chavara and Panmana panchayats with a pipe network of 371.48 km. So far 18,006 families from both the panchayats had joined the scheme. Connections are being provided at subsidised rates of Rs.1,200 each at Panmana panchayat and Rs.1,000 each at Chavara panchayat. The Rs.55-crore project comprises six overhead tanks, three in each panchayat. Of these the Kolathumukku tank is the biggest with a capacity of 17 lakh litres. The Chembettikavu tank at Chavara has a capacity of 14 lakh litres. The source of the scheme is the Sasthamcotta Lake. Mr. Premachandran said the scheme had been implemented with much foresight so as to meet the drinking water requirements of the two panchayats till the year 2036. The scheme is being jointly implemented by the Kerala Water Authority and the Jalanidhi.