Chennai is all set to avert drinking water shortage this searing summer, as the available water reserves are expected to last till September or early October.
The current daily water supply of 1,045 million litres a day (mld) is expected to be sustained during peak summer also. Of this, nearly 1,003 mld is being provided to residents, including those living in the added areas of the city.
In a bid to minimise loss by evaporation amid relentless heat, water from Poondi reservoir is being transferred to build storage at the waterbody in Red Hills from where Chennai gets a portion of its water supply.
The Water Resources Department has put off its proposal to seek Krishna water till July, as Andhra Pradesh was facing a water crunch. The water level at Kandaleru reservoir in A.P. is critically low, WRD officials here said.
“We plan to seek Krishna water discharge for the next spell after the onset of southwest monsoon. The reservoirs that feed Chennai’s drinking water needs suffer an evaporation loss of 20-25% during harsh summer days,” a senior WRD official said.
The city’s five major reservoirs, including Chembarambakkam, have a combined storage of 6,702 million cubic feet (mcft), which is 57% of their capacity as on Tuesday.
Water is being transferred to Red Hills reservoir with a dual purpose — reduce evaporation loss and facilitate execution of long-pending work to replace the shutters of Poondi reservoir and ensure dam safety. The project is likely to be completed by mid-June.
Both Poondi and Chembarambakkam have vast catchment areas, unlike the waterbody in Red Hills. With limited catchment area, Red Hills has received 425 cubic feet per second (cusecs) on Tuesday. The storage at the reservoir stands at nearly 90% of its capacity.
“We are also clearing water hyacinth in Chembarambakkam and Red Hills reservoirs. Waterbodies in delta and Cuddalore districts are being desilted this summer,” the official said.
Noting that Chennai was not in a drought situation, officials of Metrowater said desalinated water had offset the dip in Veeranam water supply. “We will exhaust the water reserve in Chembarambakkam reservoir and then use the water stored in abandoned quarries for city supply. Evaporation loss will be more in Chembarambakkam reservoir than in the quarries,” an official said.
While the water agency had lined up buffer sources, including quarries in Sikkarayapuram and Erumaiyur, and 300 agricultural wells in Tiruvallur district, it has reserved them for situations that arise owing to drop in monsoon rainfall after June.
Metrowater has also engaged 20 additional lorries to meet increasing demand for paid tanker trips, particularly from merged areas. It now operated, nearly 4,064 trips a day, which is 250 trips more than last month.
