Chennai water crisis hits construction sector
The shortfall in supply delays construction timelines and the handing over of the properties.
Published: 19th June 2019 03:29 PM | Last Updated: 19th June 2019 03:29 PM | A+A A-
Residents of Aminjikarai fill water from a Metro Water tanker | D SAMPATHKUMAR
CHENNAI: The water crisis in Chennai and in several other places in Tamil Nadu has affected the construction sector severely, said realty players.
"We are not able to get good water fulfilling quality parameters from the ground hence we are forced to buy tanker water which is very costly and increases the cost of construction," Varun Manian, Managing Director, Radiance Realty Developers India Ltd, told IANS.
The shortfall in supply delays construction timelines and the handing over of the properties, he said.
Queried about how Radiance Realty is managing, Manian said: "We started using self-curing concrete and plaster to reduce the consumption of water. We started constructing storm water collection system and rain water harvesting wells during the course of construction and this will increase the quality and yield of the ground water within two seasons."
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He does not see any fall in property sales due to the water crisis.
"The water crisis has affected the construction sector. The normal pace of activity during this period is not happening in Tamil Nadu," R.Thayumanavan, former state head of the Federation of All Civil Engineers Association of Tamil Nadu and Puduchery, told IANS over phone from Cuddalore.
Queried about retaining the workers from outside Tamil Nadu, Thayumanavan, also a Managing Partner of Alfa Building Construction, said: "We have not sent them back till now. We are adopting a wait and watch policy."
The realty players said they were adopting a wait and watch policy to decide whether to send back the construction workers to their native states like Bihar and West Bengal.
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The reservoirs -- Cholavaram (full capacity 1,081 mcft) and Redhills (3,300 mcft) -- which cater to Chennai's water needs are dry while the storage at Poondi reservoir is 24 mcft as against the full capacity of 3,231 mcft, according to the Chennai Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (Chennai Metro).
The Chembarambakkam lake (full capacity 3,645 mcft) has a water level of a mere 1 mcft.
