CHENNAI: Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay on Monday inspected the Chembarambakkam lake in Kancheepuram district and directed Water Resources Department (WRD) officials to monitor its water level, inflow and discharge round the clock during the northeast monsoon.
He inspected the sluice gates, water intake tower and bund of the lake in Kundrathur taluk and reviewed its storage position and flood cushion with officials.
Instructing officials to keep the control rooms operational round the clock with adequate staff, Vijay said the sluice gates, hoisting mechanisms, power supply, power backup facilities and telecommunications links should also remain fully functional.
If surplus water had to be released, it should be done gradually and in a regulated manner, with due care taken to prevent flooding in vulnerable areas of Chennai along the downstream stretches of the Adyar river, he added.
The CM also directed officials to issue advance warnings to residents in downstream areas before releasing water and ensure close coordination among the revenue and police departments, Chennai Corporation, and Chennai Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board.
The reservoir should be operated in accordance with the prescribed water levels in the operating manual throughout the monsoon season, maintaining adequate flood cushion while ensuring sufficient storage to meet Chennai’s drinking water needs, he added.
As of 6 am on Monday, the lake’s water level stood at 14.76 feet against its full reservoir level of 24 feet.
Its storage was 1,488 mcft against its total capacity of 3,645 mcft, accounting for about 41% of its capacity. The inflow was 150 cusecs, while the discharge was 208 cusecs. Ministers N Anand, KA Sengottaiyan, K Thennarasu and RV Ranjithkumar were among those present during the inspection.