CHENNAI: With Chennai receiving copious amounts of rainfall ever since the monsoon began, groundwater levels have again seen an improvement compared to November. Promising enough drinking water for the next one year, sources from the Chennai Metro Water department said they will reduce purchase of water from Nemmeli and Minjur desalination plants for about three months.
In December, groundwater level had improved by nearly one metre compared to November 2020, according to official data of the Chennai Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (CMWSSB).
Valasaravakkam zone saw the highest increase in groundwater table (0.80m). While ground water was available at a depth of 2.90m in November, it now stands at 2.56m.
Further, Perungudi and Kodambakkam zones, which usually witness water shortage in most summers, saw groundwater level rise by over half a metre. “One of the main reasons for this rise is rainfall due to the cyclones and the rains last week. This led to almost 100 per cent increase in reservoir-level compared to last year. We are expecting water in reservoirs to serve the city for over a year,” said an official from CMWSSB. However, groundwater continues to be at its lowest in Royapuram zone.
While in November, it was available at a depth of 4.89m, it is now available at 4.64m. Also, post last year’s drought, a lot of people had installed Rainwater Harvesting Systems in their apartments/homes in a bid to recharge groundwater. Owing to these factors, CMWSSB sources said purchase of water from Nemmeli and Minjur desalination plants will be reduced for a few months. Last year, CMWSSB bought 90 million litres of water from each desalination plant at a cost of `40 per 1,000 litres.