Chennai Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (CMWSSB) has started gradually increasing the quantity of daily drinking water supply, particularly in core areas, as the storage is building up in the reservoirs.
On Saturday, the city and added areas were supplied with nearly 947 million litres a day (mld). This could be one of the highest quantum of drinking water provided in the recent years. The water agency plans to step up the water supply up to 1,000 mld in the next couple of weeks.
The core parts of the city are getting an improved supply through pipelines every day. Nearly 747 mld is being supplied through pipeline network, which is about 50 mld more than what was supplied last week. The water board targets to reduce tanker trips and cover the city with piped water supply.
Officials of the board said as of now, the focus is more on improving water supply to core localities. Once the ongoing process of giving water connections was completed in added areas, shifting to daily water supply would be considered. At present, the merged areas are given piped supply of 129 mld on alternate days and 13 mld through tankers.
The five major water sources, including Thervoy Kandigai and Kannankottai that mainly feed the city, have a storage of 9.24 tmcft, which is 78.64% of the total capacity.
Officials said the reservoirs had a comfortable storage even as northeast monsoon was still a month away. The existing storage is adequate to supply city for 10 more months.
The major reservoirs in Poondi and Red Hills are more than 80% full. A portion of the surplus water released from Ammapalli dam in Andhra Pradesh flowed into the Poondi reservoir through Kosasthalaiyar. Officials of the Water Resources Department (WRD) said there was a steady flow of Krishna water from Andhra Pradesh.
The State border of Kandaleru Poondi canal has so far realised 3.7 tmcft of Krishna water for this spell since July. “We have diverted and filled Thervoy Kandigai and Kannankottai reservoir with Krishna water,” said a WRD official.
Rain likely
Meanwhile, the India Meteorological Department has forecast scattered rainfall over the State till Monday. Thunderstorm with heavy rains is possible over one or two places. A few places in northern parts and delta districts may receive moderate rains on Sunday.
S. Balachandran, Deputy Director General of Meteorology, Chennai, said, “There may be a dip in rains once a low-pressure area forms over northwest Bay of Bengal around Monday. We expect northern districts and Western Ghats to get better rains during the first fortnight of September.”
