Water scarcity hits ACs at Metro underground stations

The move would affect hundreds of commuters who use the 19 underground stations.

In order to reduce water consumption, the air conditioning facilities at all underground Metro stations would be gradually reduced after ensuring proper ventilation and maintaining of oxygen levels, said a statement from the CMRL.

CMRL is using more than two lakh litres of water to operate 32 metro stations every day. Of this, nearly 1.30 lakh litres of water is used to run the air conditioning systems. The remaining water is being used for the functioning of 13 elevated stations.

As per the CMRL data, each underground station consumes around 9,000 litres of water per day, of which 7,000 litres is being used to keep the air conditioners running during the operational hours from 4.30 am to 11 pm. In comparison, elevated stations use only 3,000 litres of water to run the air conditioning. The Chennai Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (CMWSSB) is supplying water to CMRL.

Air conditioners have been installed at the underground stations to provide ventilation and to reduce heat inside the stations. Meanwhile, the CMRL has decided to adopt a new gas-based air conditioning technology to cool three underground stations that are under construction for the extension of phase-1. The management has requested the commuters to bear with them for the temporary period.