Residents of Kottivakkam were in for a pleasant surprise when they saw the water body in their area filled with water, despite the dry weather.
Water used to flush the pipeline, which is to shortly carry the desalinated water from Nemmeli plant, is being released into water bodies and waterways enroute for the past few days.
Srilakshmi Rao, a resident, said that the water bodies had long dried up in the area as there have been no rains. Groundwater table has dipped into a depth of 40 feet-50 feet and is high in iron content.
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“The water level in the community tank at Kottivakkam will help recharge groundwater in our wells,” she said.
The water level in the tank has gone up rapidly with water being let into it for the past two or three days, said residents
Chennai Metrowater is carrying out flushing operations of the 64-km pipeline laid by L& T Limited and preparing it to carry the treated water from the Nemmeli desalination plant on East Coast Road.
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The plant, with a capacity to treat 100 million litres of seawater daily, was inaugurated by Chief Minister Jayalalithaa on February 21.
Metrowater officials said that releasing the water used to flush out the silt in the pipeline into the waterways and tanks on the route was a better option than to waste it.
“We took similar steps while cleaning the pipeline that transmits water from Veeranam tank in Cuddalore district. Then, the water was let it into Porur lake, treated and use for drinking water supply,” said a Metrowater official.
At present, the water used for scouring the pipeline is released into waterways located every 2 or 3 km, including backwaters of Muttukadu, Kovalam.
Frequent checks
Metrowater officials also check the water samples every few hours to ensure quality to facilitate distribution of drinking water from the desalination plant.
Once the scouring operation is completed in a few days, treated water from the plant would be distributed to various areas such as Pallipattu, Velachery and Thiruvanmiyur by mid-March.