CHENNAI: As part of its efforts to prevent groundwater exploitation, reduce heavy vehicle movements and reduce reliance on tanker lorries for drinking water supply, Chennai Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (CMWSSB) has begun collecting information on users who receive drinking water via tanker lorries and is looking into the possibility of offering them piped water connections instead.
A senior CMWSSB official told TNIE that the city's growing population, encroachments on water bodies and lack of maintenance of rain harvesting systems have made it difficult to maintain groundwater levels. Additionally, the city's soil is composed of multiple layers of rock, sand and clay, adding to the complexity of the situation.
To assess groundwater levels across the city, CMWSSB installed groundwater monitoring devices in all 200 wards in 2021. Due to climate change, the groundwater level in and around the city has been decreasing, leading the water agency to take measures to prevent further exploitation of groundwater.
The official stated that as of now the water requirement is met by drawing water from surface sources, groundwater sources, desalination plants and tertiary treatment reverse osmosis plants. Out of the 100 crore litres of water supplied in the city, 30 crore litres is supplied through lorries. For this purpose, the water agency has tied up with 425 lorries.
"Sometimes, CMWSSB receives complaints regarding water distribution via lorries. So, we are gathering details of commercial consumers, apartments, hotels and hostels. After this task, the supply of water through trucks would be reduced and the water agency would provide tap connections," said another official. He also pointed out that CMWSSB had already submitted a detailed project report for tap connection projects to the state government. After getting funds, the task would be executed.