Chennai: The Red Hills reservoir, the major source of drinking water for Chennai is yet to benefit from the recent spells of rain. Water level stands at 880 mcft, a deficit of 400 mcft water when compared to last year during the same period. Despite the fact that Chennai and its neighborhood recorded 296 mm of rainfall against the normal rainfall of 164 mm this October, inflow to the reservoir is minimal — about 125 cusecs.
However the only respite is that the catchment area of Red Hills has recorded 56.4 mm rainfall over the past two days.
A senior public works department official said that Chennai received rainfall mostly along the coastal areas of the core city and there was no adequate rain in the catchment areas of the four reservoirs that cater to the state capi-tal.
Only when there are rains in adjacent Kancheepuram and Tiruvallur districts will the city reservoirs benefit and there is nothing to worry as the monsoon has just commenced, the official added.
According to Chennai metro water sources, Chembarambakkam is receiving an inflow of 1419 cusecs and has attained a storage capacity of 74.39 ft against the total capacity of 85.40 ft.
The total storage of all four city reservoirs including Poondi stood at 2298 mcft against the full capacity of 11057 mcft.
Poondi reservoir has an inflow of 379 cusecs of rainfall and received 27 mm rainfall on Friday, sources said, adding that so far,
more than one tmc ft of water has been realised in the recent spell of October rains.
