The area around the Red Hills reservoir, bustling with activity, now looks deserted, following the countrywide lockdown. But a team of Water Resources Department (WRD) staff members have been clearing floating materials from the inlets of the lake to ensure the free flow of water.
Brimming with water, the reservoir is one of the four major drinking water sources and has been getting an inflow of 240 cusecs (cubic feet per second) from the Poondi reservoir, this summer. While most parts of the area are empty, it is business as usual for the group of five staff members, involved in the maintenance of the lake.
They have been clearing floating materials like plastic bags, thermocol and grass that flow into the lake through the link canal carrying water from the Poondi reservoir. “This is regular work for us. In the past, we have stayed back in the site office during rainy days. But what is challenging now is having to cross three check posts to identify ourselves as essential service workers and reaching the site,” said a WRD staff member.
They now don a blue jacket and a cap bearing the department’s name to work for easy identification and assist in the process of drinking water supply to the city. Instead of the usual 10-11 staff members, only five are at the site, and the rest are posted for monitoring the Cholavaram lake and the Tamaraipakkam anicut.
Their other works include measuring the lake level at 6 a.m., inspecting the link canal for a stretch of 4-5 km for obstruction, and monitoring the drawal and the main bund. People’s access is now restricted, as the gate to the main bund has been locked.
“We have posted staff members who live near the lake. We have also created awareness about personal sanitation and provided sanitisers and masks as a precautionary measure against COVID-19,” said an official.
About 200 mld is drawn from the lake and treated at facilities in Red Hills and Kilpauk for drinking water supply. The continuous supply of Krishna water from Andhra Pradesh has ensured better storage in Red Hills and Chembarambakkam lakes this summer. The Red Hills reservoir has a storage of 2,788 million cubic feet, against its capacity of 3,300 mcft.
“Our family is often concerned about COVID-19. But we continue our work with basic precautions and physical distancing,” said a staff member.
