CHENNAI: The water level in Chembarambakkam reservoir, a key drinking water source for Chennai, sharply increased on Saturday due to the impact of rainfall brought by Cyclone Fengal.
By 8pm, the inflow to the reservoir was almost up 10-fold in 10 hours from 479 cusecs to 5,610 cusecs.
A senior official from the Water Resources Department (WRD) told TNIE, “There are no plans to open the surplus shutters as the reservoir still has enough storage capacity. As of now, Chembarambakkam holds 2.368 tmcft of water out of its total capacity of 3.645 tmcft.”
He further clarified, “The reservoir has a storage capacity of 24 feet, and the current water level stands at 19.31 feet as of 4 pm. According to guidelines, we can safely store water up to 21 feet, so the current level is within the safe zone. We are monitoring the situation continuously.”
Future decisions will depend on rainfall in the catchment areas and further inflows into the reservoir, the official added.
On Saturday evening, Kancheepuram district monitoring officer KS Kandasamy and collector Kalaiselvi Mohan inspected the reservoir. Speaking to reporters, Kandasamy said the situation was safe as the water level has reached only two-third of the reservoir’s capacity. He added that even if the rainfall, and consequently the inflow, continued consistently for another 24 hours with the same intensity, there won’t be any problem.
Another WRD official also shared updates about other reservoirs, stating, “The storage at Redhills stands at 2,461 million cubic feet (mcft) out of 3,300 mcft, with an inflow of 3,500 cusecs on Saturday evening. We can store about 1,100 mcft more here. If the inflow reaches 10,000 cusecs, surplus gates may need to be opened. Other reservoirs, including Poondi and Cholavaram, are also safe.”
The official compared the current storage to last year, saying, “As of 6 pm on Saturday, the total water storage of Chennai reservoirs stands at 6.626 tmcft out of 13.222 tmcft. In contrast, it was 10.718 tmcft over the same period last year.”
While the delayed monsoon and reduced rainfall have resulted in poor water level in reservoirs this year, officials assured that the available water, along with Krishna water, would be enough to meet the city’s summer needs.