Chennai: Chennai city is facing severe crisis of drinking water as all four lakes around the city have dried up. Tamil Nadu is witnessing the worst drought in 140 years and require 830 million litres of water a day.
There is no daily supply of water as the four main reservoirs ie, Poondi, Redhills, Cholavaram and Chembarambakkam. In many years, pipe water is being supplied once in three days. There are 300 water tankers deployed in the city.
The Veeranam lake in Neyveli , from where Chennai receives supply through huge pipeline is also dry. Senior water supply official said “Water is also coming in from stone quarries in Kancheepuram and Thiruvallur besides two desalination plants in the city”.
The ground water in chennai is restocked by five lakes Puzhal, Sholavaram, Kaliveli, Pulicat and Maduranthakam. In 2015, the lakes had overflowed due to unseasonal rains. Besides, there are thousands of water bodies in Chennai and its neighbouring districts. Green activists say had these water bodies been properly maintained, Chennai would have never suffered from water crisis.
The Andhra Pradesh government has so far supplied the city 2.2 tmcft water since January 20. One tmcft is equivalent to a month’s supply in the city.
The Kandaleru reservoir discharges 1,500-2,000 cusecs (42,500litres-56,000litres per second) per day. Of this, Chennai had received around 400 cusecs daily till two weeks ago, before it fell to 120 cusecs on Friday.
“Krishna water inflow has reduced due to the fall in the Kandaleru reservoir levels,” a PWD official at the Poondi reservoir said. The officials are not certain when the inflow will pick up.
Metrowater will soon have to turn to alternate sources, draw around 180MLD through wells in the Paravanar riverbed, the Neyveli basin and agricultural fields in Poondi and Tamaraipakkam in Tiruvallur. The city will continue to receive 100MLD each from the desalination plants at Nemmeli and Minjur.
