CM Vijay Visits Chembarambakkam Lake
Water, in the event of the opening of the reservoir, should be released into Adyar river in phases while the electricity generating capacity should be maintained and control rooms should be kept operational with full staff capacity.
Chennai: Urging the authorities concerned to keep a close watch on the Chembarambakkam reservoir that was 41 percent full on Monday, Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay visited the lake and its bunds besides inspecting the condition of the machinery that would help release water from it when the storage touches alarming levels.
One of two major rain fed reservoirs – the other being Puzhal - from which the city of Chennai draws water for its needs, the level in Chembarambakkam, from which the Adyar river originates, has been a matter of concern during the monsoon season since 2015 when an unexpected opening of its sluices at night caused a catastrophic flood in Chennai.
During his inspection of the lake on Monday, Vijay said that the people in the low-lying areas should be warned ahead of opening the reservoir whose level should be monitored round the clock with the coordination of the various departments like revenue, police, Chennai Corporation and drinking water supply board.
Cautioning against letting the surplus water from the lake flowing through River Adyar affect the flood-prone regions of Chennai, he said regulations relating to water release and storage should be strictly adhered to and the reservoir operated based on the storage level.
Water, in the event of the opening of the reservoir, should be released into Adyar river in phases while the electricity generating capacity should be maintained and control rooms should be kept operational with full staff capacity.
As on Monday 6 am, the level in the lake stood at 14.76 feet as against the full level of 24 feet with the storage standing at 1,488 million square feet as against its total capacity of 3,645 million square feet with an inflow of 150 square feet and an outflow of 208 square feet, an official press release said.
Since the weather office has forecast light showers for northern Tamil Nadu in the next one week with the skies remaining cloudy, a cloud burst could bring heavy rains that would lead to the Chembarambakkam lake getting filled up fast, leading to the release of water into the Adyar River.