The Revenue Administration has commissioned a State-wide study of abandoned quarries enthused by Chennai Metrowater’s experience of tapping water from them in and around the city for public supply.
“We are in the process of identifying such quarries. We are also exploring the possibility of deepening those quarries, which can be used for storage. If everything goes well, water can be used either for the public consumption or, at least, irrigation,” says K. Satyagopal, Principal Secretary and Commissioner of Revenue Administration, adding that the findings of the study are likely to be ready in a month.
Though the official is not willing to hazard a guess about the number of abandoned quarries in the State, he says this must be to the tune of several hundreds.
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When the decision is taken to harness water from the quarries for domestic consumption, all the quality norms on the public water supply will be followed, Dr. Satyagopal says.
Another official explains that over the years, the government had given permission for quarrying blue metals on numerous sites, which are now lying abandoned on exhausting the potential of the sites.
For the last two months, Chennai Metrowater has been drawing 30 million litres a day (MLD) from 22 quarries in Sikkarayapuram, near Mangadu, from where water is first being taken to the Chembarampakkam water treatment plant.
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It is expected that these quarries will serve for a minimum of one more month.
There are plans of tapping some more quarries near Tambaram for the public supply in the city.