Chennai: Nearly after a decade, the Chennai Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (CMWSSB) has resorted to renting private agricultural wells to augment water supply with water crisis looming over the city. The board has identified 250 private agricultural borewells in Poondi, Tamaraipakkam and Magaral areas to draw 40 million litres a day (MLD) to convey the water through the existing pipeline network in well fields, to the City.
“Work orders have been issued to 130 agricultural wells including 14 wells from Karani, 17 from Siruvanoor, 33 from Pullarambakkam, 35 from Movur, 17 from Kilanoor and Melanoor and 14 from Kandigai to draw water for the city. We will get a supply of 20 mld from these borewells. The water drawn from these new sources will be conveyed to Puzhal water treatment plant and from there it will be distributed to the city through the existing pipeline network,” a CMWSSB official said.
In the next phase, action is being taken to tap water from 120 agriculture borewells from Poondi, Tamaraipakkam and Magaral. “These wells will supply another 20 mld of water. In all, the private borewells will supply a total of 40 mld,” the official said, adding that in addition to these sources, about 20 million litres of water is being extracted from 34 borewells owned by the CMWSSB that includes 9 wells at Poondi, 21 wells at Tamaraipakkam and 4 in Minjur.
The deficit rainfall witnessed in catchments areas of reservoirs for the past three years has caused a serious strain on the ability of metro water to maintain the city’s water supply. With less availability of water in the reservoirs, the city is being supplied 600 mld of water on alternative days. Following suspension of Krishna water supply by Andhra Pradesh in April last week, the water storage in reservoirs fell drastically to 15 per cent of its total capacity of 11 tmc ft and it would last till July-end.
It left metro water with no other option but to tap groundwater resources to quench the thirst of Chennaiites. “With AP resuming Krishna water supply from June 1, we will get water to sustain beyond July,” sources said.
