Water supply in Chennai to go up from October 23

Chennai households spared hike in tanker rates.

Collateral damage: Heavy rain pounded several areas in and around the city on Thursday night.

Even as Chennai Metrowater plans to increase water supply from next week, its sudden move to hike prices for paid tanker supply has caused confusion among residents, as it has served as a lifeline during the crisis. However, the water agency has revoked the hike for the domestic sector.

The water agency recently hiked prices for tankers of various capacities. For instance, the price for a 9-kl capacity tanker was hiked from ₹700 to ₹735. Officials said normally price was reviewed every year. But this was stopped due to drought conditions the past few years. “We have now revoked the price increase for households, until water availability becomes stable and more streets are covered with better piped supply,” said an official.

After a gap of several months, more areas in the city will begin receiving drinking water through pipelines from next week, as Metrowater plans to increase water supply to 650 million litres a day (mld). The water agency plans to increase supply from the present 525 mld to 650 mld from October 23. The wait is for the storage in the Red Hills reservoir to touch 444 million cubic feet (mcft) for drawal. It now has 249 mcft of water, said Metrowater officials.

On Friday, the combined storage of the four major lakes stood at 1,522 mcft, and much of it was storage in the Poondi reservoir. This is expected to further build as catchment areas continue to record rainfall.

Rain likely

Meanwhile, the Meteorological Department has forecast light to moderate rain over the State during the weekend. The wet spell is a consequence of a low pressure area and convective activity in some parts.

N. Puviarasan, director, Area Cyclone Warning Centre, said some districts in south coastal Tamil Nadu, such as Kanniyakumari and Thoothukudi, and western districts such as the Nilgiris and Dharmapuri, may record heavy rainfall. “We are expecting an increase in rainfall activity from October 21. Chennai too will experience light to moderate rain in some areas,” he said.

Heavy rain pounded several areas in and around the city on Thursday night. During the24 hours ending at 8.30 a.m. on Friday, Ayanavaram received the highest volume of rainfall (13 cm), followed by Perambur and Nungambakkam with 10 cm of rain. However, there may a slight lull in showers during the weekend.