VELLORE: The water wagons, operating since July 12, have stopped ferrying Cauvery water to Chennai city from Jolarpet in Vellore district following a request from Chennai Metro Water Supply and Sewage Board (CMWSSB) after completing 159 trips.
Following a severe shortage of water to quench the thirst of Chennai city, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami had ordered the supply of Cauvery water from Jolarpet in June and sanctioned Rs. 65 crore.
Subsequently, the authorities of Tamil Nadu Water Supply and Drainage (TWAD) Board, CMWSSB and Railways swung into action. Pipelines were laid to ferry water from underground storage facility located at Mettusakkarakuppam to the railway yard at Jolarpet.
Cauvery water supplied through Vellore Combined Water Supply Scheme was stored at Mettusakkarakuppam and pumped to the railway yard. From here, it was filled into the wagons, before decanting at Villivakkam.
The wagons began ferrying water on July 12. Initially, one rake with 50 wagons was operated and another train joined operations on July 22.
“As many as 159 trips have been completed. The quantum of water ferried to Chennai city is 42.93 crore litre till Monday,” a senior official of TWAD Board told Express on Tuesday.
The transportation of water to Chennai was stopped following a request from the CMWSSB.
The official said, “Since we received a request from CMWSSB, supply of water through wagons was stopped on Tuesday.”
As the monsoon failed to bring enough water in the previous season, the reservoirs catering to Chennai city’s water requirement went almost dry. The officials tapped all the available resources to meet the demand, though lesser in quantity.
The Cauvery water supplied from Jolarpet helped CMWSSB to tackle the situation to a certain extent, the official noted.