For the second successive year, Chennai Metrowater plans to draw water from agricultural wells in Tiruvallur district to bridge the growing gap between city’s drinking water supply and demand.
With the present storage in the city reservoirs enough only for a month, the water agency has called for tenders to hire agricultural wells in Tiruvallur district for a year as a precautionary measure, officials said.
It has called for bids to hire wells in Siruvanur, Pularambakkam, Movur, Gandhi Nagar, Kizhanur, Melanur, Ramarajan Kandigai, Velliyur and Magaral located close to Poondi and Tamaraipakkam well fields in Tiruvallur district.
Each well is expected to draw and supply 2.5 lakh litres of groundwater daily and linked to underground sumps constructed by Metrowater.
Last year, about 50 mld of groundwater was sourced from 300 wells hired in Tiruvallur district as early as January. The agency paid ₹42 per hour for each well last time.
This year, the number of wells to be hired and the hiring cost would be finalised after the tender next week. Water from agricultural wells and about 3,000 mld in abandoned quarries at Sikkarayapuram would be kept in reserve, said the officials.
Chennaiites are being supplied with 675 million litres of water on alternate days for want of sufficient resources. The storage at four reservoirs, which contributes a major share of water supply, has depleted to 9% of their total capacity.
If the storage drops further, water from the reservoir in Red Hills would be pumped from the month-end, officials said. To avert any crisis, Metrowater has once again decided to tap groundwater resources and add to its list of buffer sources, they add.
Both Metrowater and Water Resources Department (WRD) pin their hopes on Krishna water that is likely to flow into city by this month-end.
“We are monitoring the storage in Kandaleru reservoir that is now at 6,000 million cubic feet (mcft). It needs to reach at least 8,400 mcft for water to be released for Chennai’s water requirement,” said a WRD official.
Delay in release
Though Andhra Pradesh has to release 8,000 mcft of Krishna water between July and October, it has been delayed because of dismal storage in its reservoirs.
There are chances of water being discharge beyond the stipulated period this year, the official added.
