Residents fume as arrival of monsoon doesn’t end water woes

Sources said that the total water storage in all the metro lakes has crossed one tmc of water, but Metro Water Board is still waiting for more rains. As of now, the officials draw water from rented agricultural wells and other ground water sources. While the city needs 830 MLD of water per day, the metro water has reduced the supply to below 400 MLD nowadays. 

Meanwhile, residents in many parts of the city are fuming that their water problems are still persistent despite the rainy season having started. “We get only four buckets of water per day and the metro water supply is completely erratic. This year is the worst as far as drinking water supply is concerned,” said K Parthiban, a resident of Nandanam. When they approached metro water officials, there was no proper reply. 

“A lady Assistant Engineer of Metro Water once threatened my wife for complaining about interrupted water supply with Chennai Metro water board saying that water supply would be suspended in the entire area,” he said and added that they pay water tax without getting water. 

“If there is more rain in Chennai region, we will increase supply to prescribed 830 MLD of water. We are drawing around 20 tmc of surface water as of now and it is not enough,” said a CMWSSB official seeking anonymity. If all the metro lakes are filled up with rain water, they will fully draw water from the lakes, he added. 

Improvement works, including desilting, have not been done on water bodies to store rainwater despite commencement of the rainy season, allege activists. Though the Public Works Department (WRD) has claimed that they have undertaken such works on all water bodies, experts say that water may be wasted in case of heavy rain. Porur lake can be taken as an example. The PWD officials had not even removed bunds constructed across the Porur lake. The encroachments are yet to be removed. V Mani, Superintending Engineer, Palar Basin Circle, PWD, Chennai region, maintained that they had undertaken works as much as possible. 

“Even now, works are in progress in all the water bodies under Tamil Nadu Irrigated Agriculture Modernization and Water-Bodies Restoration and Management (TN-IAMWARM). Further, we have also desilted all the link canals,” he said and added that they had desilted in both Adyar and Cooum rivers to reduce the possibility of flooding. However, water experts expressed concern over the improvement works done on water bodies.  

“If this monsoon provides a good rainfall, there is a high possibility for wastage of rainwater as the water bodies are not maintained properly,” said Sekhar Raghavan, director of The Rain Centre. The government should have allotted enough funds for the PWD to take up maintenance works on water bodies, he added.