CHENNAI: Owing to the soaring mercury, the storage level at the city’s reservoirs is witnessing a fast decline, posing serious concerns regarding the residents’ drinking water requirements. However, officials from the Water Resources Department (WRD) said measures are already in place to address the summer water needs by way of desalination plants.
According to WRD’s data accessed by TNIE, the combined storage of the city’s six reservoirs as of Friday stood at 8.040 tmcft, which is 60.85% of their total capacity of 13.213 tmcft. This is significantly lower compared to the same period last year when the reservoirs had water up to 75% of their capacity.
After the Northeast Monsoon brought copious rain to Chennai last December, the reservoirs had reached close to their maximum capacity. On December 10, their total storage was recorded at 11.594 tmcft (87.75% of capacity). However, just in four months, nearly 27% of the water has been depleted.
A senior WRD official stated, “Despite Tamil Nadu receiving only 2.41 tmcft of water from Andhra Pradesh in the current financial year (2023-24), against the agreed annual volume of 12 tmcft, the state’s surplus rainfall during the recent monsoon-led to us requesting Andhra Pradesh not to release water.”
Furthermore, another official highlighted that the storage level of Veeranam Lake is currently zero. However, the Chennai Metro Water has been able to manage the situation as the new desalination plants are providing 126 MLD of water. Additionally, desalination plants in Minjur and Nemmeli ensure a consistent supply for the future, mitigating any potential shortages.
Looking ahead, the WRD anticipates that Andhra Pradesh will commence releasing four tmcft of water from April, which is expected to fulfil the city’s drinking water requirements in the upcoming days, he added.