CHENNAI: Chennai Metrowater has increased water supply to residents from 470 million litres per day (MLD) to 530 million litres as the parched reservoirs of the city are now getting copious inflow due to monsoon. Staring at one of the worst water crisis after 14 years, the city’s thirst for water is slowly being quenched with the combined water storage in four reservoirs increasing to 1,371 million cubic feet (mcft). Added to it is 343 mcft from Veeranam Lake, which brings the storage level to 1714 mcft. Last year, the storage level during the corresponding period was 1,302 mcft.
However, a water manager says this is just 10 to 15 percent of the 11,507 mcft capacity of the four reservoirs supplying water to the city. “This water would last two months. We hope we get good rainfall so that the storage increases to help overcome the summer next year.”
Red Hills lake, one of the main dams supplying water to the city that had dried up three months ago, is now showing good storage with 487 mcft, the highest among the four reservoirs. The reservoir had earlier dried up in 1983 and 2003-2004. Even in 2015, it had only around 20 mcft in November first week.
The city was totally dependent on underground water resources. Nearly 200 borewells as well as Veeranam lake and Neyveli Lignite Corporation mines are supplying around 115 MLD of water to the city. Metrowater and the Water Resources department intends to transfer the excess water from Chembarambakkam lake to 22 stone quarries at Sikkaraya-puram to ensure that the water could be used during a crisis. The Water Resources Department is making arrangements in this regard, the source said.