Chennai: The acute water crisis that haunted Chennai is receding with complaints to metro water ward offices coming down by 20 per cent. With groundwater table and borewells improving due to the above normal southwest monsoon, the demand for metro water trips scheduled at metro water headquarters has also come down by 200 trips per day.
“The daily trip sheets in last month were 8,100, an all-time high and now a daily supply of 7,900-trips is maintained”, Chennai metro water managing director Arun Roy told Deccan Chronicle.
“We were worried about August and September and it was the recent rains that helped improve the groundwater table. There were plans to reduce the water supply to 400 MLD from 430 MLD in Chennai, but now with the recent showers the daily supply is enhanced to 470 MLD and we are confident of handling Chennai”, he said.
Once the southwest monsoon kicks in, rains will take care of the rest and the metro water is also hoping for surplus water release from Mettur so that Veeranam is filled to supplement the drinking water needs of Chennai.
To a query on the status of Krishna water release from Andhra, the official said at present there was no adequate water at Kandaleru to release. Andhra is still facing deficit rain and even the reservoirs in Chennai have less than four per cent storage. Metro water is handling the daily supply through borewells in Kancheepuram and Tiruvallur and the biggest relief is that there are no borewell failures due to intermittent rains in northern Tamil Nadu.
However, the top officer expressed concern over the inadequate inflow into the four major reservoirs that caters drinking water to greater Chennai.
According to metro water sources, the total storage of Red Hills, Poondi and Chembarambakkam reservoirs stood at 383 mcft, which is less than 4 percent of the total storage capacity of 11 tmc feet.
It is a fact that the water supply through pipes has improved in Central Chennai but still there are complaints about sewer water entering drinking water pipelines in parts of north Chennai.
The public is waiting for a better supply of water and the state should now divert stormwater from western districts and enhance supply in Chennai and Kancheepuram, said civic activist Aarani C. Sreenivasan of Egmore constituency.
Tamil Nadu records higher rainfall than other South Indian states
After several years Tamil Nadu has recorded rainfall above other South Indian states including Karnataka, Kerala and Andhra. Rainfall in forests has been helping catchment areas of TN dams.
Both Mettur and Bhavani Sagar dams have reached 50 per cent of their total capacity and there are possibilities for the dams to overflow this November-December, PWD sources told Deccan Chronicle.
On Thursday evening Hogenakkal saw an inflow of 10,000 cusecs of water from Karnataka and Mettur received 6,000 cusecs of water. Mettur on Thursday touched 79 feet against its total capacity of 120 feet. Tiruneveli and Kanyakumari, which were receiving intermittent rains till last month, also saw copious inflow of water on Thursday. Papanasam, Manimutharu, Sengottai and Guntaru catchments also recorded inflow of water for the seventh consecutive day.
Of the total 12 dams in Nilgiris, almost all the dams now have storage above 80 per cent of water and are likely to brim by next week as the rains continue to lash Avalan-chee, Upper Bhavani, Bankitapal and Kodanad, sources said. The release of water from the dams has also helped Tamil Nadu Power Generation Corporation to generate 900 mega watt power.
According to reports reaching the PWD headquarters, Coimbatore dams- Pillur has already filled and Siruvani the lifeline of Coimbatore is also fast filling up with storage nearing 43 feet of the total capacity of 50 feet, PWD sources said adding that due to heavy rains in Kerala, Mullaiperiyar dam is also fast filling up with an inflow 1,900 cusecs and an outflow of 1,400 cusecs.
