CHENNAI: Water supply in Chennai which touched a record 1,000 Million Litres Per Day (MLD) in September has fallen to 950-960 MLD. The officials of Metro Water Board attributed this to tankers not being able to reach waterlogged areas and a fall in demand.On trial run basis, the board has been supplying water to added areas along the Old Mahabalipuram Road including Kottivakkam, Palavakkam, Perungudi, Sholinganallur and Karapakkam.
“Water has still not receded in a lot of areas, particularly Semmenchery. So, water trucks are unable to reach the flooded areas and hence, supply has been affected,” said a senior official from the Metro Water board. The irony here is that residents of the same areas who are wading through water are struggling for drinking water. Not just Semmenchery, residents along most added areas say there are lapses in supply.
“The water trucks were initially (September and early October) arriving regularly. The supply has been erratic ever since rains began. We are yet again dependent on private tankers. The good days were shortlived,” said P Sitharaman, a resident of Kottivakkam.
Sources in the Metro Water Board also attribute to fall in supply to leaks in pipelines. “Most of the pipelines are very old and a lot of water is wasted due to the leaks. The department must first fix this before supply can be increased,” said a source.
Supply down despite plenty of rains
950-960 MLD
Current water supply to city
1,200 MLD
Total requirement
810 MLD
Supply in March