NE NEWS SERVICE
CHENNAI, SEP 8
The Chennai Metrowater is hopeful of ensuring 700 MLD (million litres a day) water supply to the residents till May next year, thanks to comfortable storage in the four chief reservoirs here and the anticipated four tmcft Krishna river water, Andhra Pradesh, from next week.
சென்னைக்கு தற்போது 700 MLD என்ற அளவில் வழங்கப்பட்டு வரும் குடிநீர் வருகின்ற 2021ஆம் ஆண்டு மே மாதம் வரை எவ்வித தடையுமின்றி தொடர்ந்து வழங்கப்படும்.
மேலும், சென்னை குடிநீர் வாரியத்தின் சார்பில் 150 MLD கடல் நீரை குடிநீராக்கும் திட்டப்பணிகளை துரிதப்படுத்தவும் உத்தரவிட்டுள்ளேன்.
— SP Velumani – Say No To Drugs & DMK (@SPVelumanicbe) September 8, 2020
The four reservoirs Chembarabakkam, Red Hills, Poondi and Cholavaram, the lifeline for Chennai, had gone bone dry last year, making it an arduous task for the officials to even maintain the regular supplies, forcing residents to depend on private water suppliers.
The lakes’ combined storage as of Tuesday stood at 4,048 mcft (millon cubic feet) as against the full reservoir capacity of (combined) 11,257 mcft water.
During the corresponding period last year, only the Poondi reservoir had 16 mcft water. The city gets 180 MLD water from Veeranam and 180 MLD from the desalination plants at Nemmeli and Minjur.
Besides, there are open wells in Tiruvallur district and quarries at Chikkarayapuram and Erumaiyur that supplement the water supply.
“With the above water sources and the four tmcft Krishna water that will be available from September 14, city residents will be provided uninterrupted 700 MLD water till May 2021,” state Local Administration Minister S P Velumani said.
Chief Minister K Palaniswami has requested his Andhra Pradesh counterpart to release four tmcft (thousand million cubic ft) water from Krishna river and Y S Jaganmohan Reddy assured to provide the water from Monday, the Minister said.
Velumani, who reviewed the pace of projects initiated to meet the shortfall in water supply, asked officials to make sure that the supply of water was uninterrupted and prevent crowding of people at public places due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Sufficient precautions should be taken to make certain that social distancing norms were put to practice.
According to a senior official in Metrowater, the city’s groundwater level too has improved to about 1 m over 5.5 m level in July last year.
The groundwater level and groundwater quality were being monitored by the Metrowater at its 145 monitoring wells on a regular basis.
The southwest monsoon has helped improve the water position during June, July and August, to some extent, the official said.
Chennai heavily relies on the northeast monsoon between October-December, which accounts for the bulk of rainfall replenishing the reservoirs.
