Chennai: Not only has northeast monsoon failed to fill city’s drinking water reservoirs, groundwater table has also gone down by 0.90 m to 2.92 m adding to the water crisis of Chennai. The city is staring at a worst water crisis since 2003.
With inadequate storages in the four drinking water supply reservoirs and falling groundwater table, Chennai metro water has appealed to the public to conserve the water and asked them to limit treated water use only for drinking and cooking.
The overall deficit of monsoon in the entire Tamil Nadu is 61 per cent and for Chennai around 23 per cent. An official release of metro water said the groundwater table has declined in the range of 0.97 m to 2.92 m when the average water level in 15 areas of Chennai during the month of December 2015 and December 2016 was compared.
*MBGL- Metres below the ground level
Water table has gone down steeply in Ambattur by 2.92 m to 3.49 m below the ground level (mbgl) from 0.57 mbgl in the corresponding period.
Ground water in Royapuram is available at 4.10 mbgl while Valasaravakkam and Tondiarpet have water below 3.5 m.
The groundwater level across the state has also gone down in the range of 1.38 m to 6.46 m except Nilgiri that witnessed marginal rise in the same period.
With the combined storage level in Poondi, Chembarambakkam, Redhills and Cholavaram is 1,606 million cubic feet as against its total capacity of 11,057 mcft, metro water will not be able sustain the city’s daily water supply of 830 million litres a day.
Metro water requires 1,000 mcft a month from the reservoirs to ensure daily supply of drinking water.
To meet the city’s daily water requirement, metro water draws about 430 MLD from the reservoirs, 200 MLD from two desalination plants, 180 MLD from Veeranam tank and rest from the ground water sources in the local bodies.
Following monsoon’s failure, water managers have again turned to Krishna water to quench the thirst of Chennaities in the ensuing summer.
After Andhra Pradesh suspended supply from Kandaleru reservoir for the third time since October due to Cyclone Vardah, the state public works department has approached their counterparts to resume supply again. Krishna water flows to the state through Kandaleru-Poondi canal reaching Poondi reservoir.
As per the Krishna Water Supply Scheme agreement, AP should supply a total of 12 tmcft every year. But last year the state got only one tmcft even though it has entitled to eight tmcft between July and October, an official said.
The official also expressed concern over the fast depleting storage in Veeranam tank. As against its full storage capacity of 1456 mcft, it has only 269 mcft as on December 31. “We have already began the process for hiring private agricultural wells in Tiruvallur district to meet drinking water requirement,” a metro water official said.
