As severe cyclonic storm Helen is set to hit Andhra Pradesh, water managers in the city are looking at the sky with hope of some showers to tide over the impending water crisis.
Although weathermen say the city only has a remote chance of rain, Metro Water officials are still keeping their fingers crossed as the city has a deficit of 36 per cent rainfall from October to November 20, 2013 compared to the same period last year.
A senior Metro Water official said the catchment areas of the city this year have received less rainfall than the previous year adding to the water woes of Metro Water, which had been struggling to maintain the supply of water in the city.
This year, water levels in the four reservoirs- Poondi, Cholavaram, Red Hills and Chembarambakkam-is only 3.5 thousand million cubic (tmc) feet as compared to last year’s 4.44 tmc feet. This will last for only four to five months.
With barely a week left for the month to end, Metro Water officials say this is a bad sign and hope the fortunes could turn around provided the skies open up by next week.
Currently, Poondi has 729 million cubic feet (mcft), Cholavaram 165 mcft, Red Hills 1,647 mcft and Chembarambakkam has 999 mcft of water left.
The city requires 830 million litres per day (mld) and Metro Water has been supplying only 600 mld with the limited resources.
“The city could have run dry had it not been for the Minjur and Nemelli desalination plants, which were opened by Chief minister J Jayalalithaa recently, besides 180 mld of water from Veeranam lake and another 40 to 50 mld of ground water. This adds to 400 mld of water,” a senior Metro Water official said. coastal ap braces: P14