CUDDALORE/CHENNAI: Even as all attention is on the ongoing political drama in Chennai, the State capital is staring at an impending water crisis. One of its major sources, Veeranam lake, which supplies 180 million litres of water daily, has nearly dried up.
Usually, the supply of water continues until March, while this year, it has been stopped halfway through February, causing concern among water managers here.
Water Resources Department sources told Express that the lake has nearly dried up, forcing them to pump out water for supply to Chennai. “We are getting only 30 million litres per day (MLD) from Veeranam which usually provides 180 MLD,” said officials at Chennai Metrowater, which has already reduced supply to the city from 830 MLD to 550 MLD.
The tank ran short of water almost a month in advance, though no water was released for agricultural purposes, a Public Works Department (PWD) source said. He claimed that groundwater sources are also getting depleted fast.
“The ground water is being tapped through borewells from Sethiathoppu to Panruti, but this may also not last until summer,” cautioned PWD officials.
Now, the only source to quench the city’s thirst is Krishna water from Andhra Pradesh that is flowing into the Poondi reservoir. “We are currently getting 486 cusecs of water,” said a Metrowater official. Currently, Chennai has enough water to last for two months.