Metro Water to map groundwater, streamline supply

In a move to effectively streamline the drinking water supply in the city, the Chennai Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (Metro Water) has decided to create a groundwater map of the metropolis.

The decision has been taken in a recent board meeting held in the office of the water manager. “The proposed map will have details of depths of the groundwater table of all the areas in the Corporation limits. The map will also show the quality of groundwater,” a Metro Water official said.

The official added that a private consultant will be appointed to study the groundwater availability and prepare a map. The plan is to utilise the World Bank (WB) fund under the Chennai City Partnership initiative. The international funding agency has sanctioned USD 150 million to implement the initiative.

When asked about the rationale behind the proposal, the official said the map would help the water manager to streamline the water supply.

“Presently, we are supplying almost equal amounts of drinking water to all parts of the city. When we have the map, the water supply will be regulated in a way so that localities with lower groundwater tables will get more supply and others with higher groundwater tables will get the required amount of supply only,” the official added.

Meanwhile, Metro Water also decided to study the sewage removal infrastructure in the core city and a feasibility study to improve the mechanism.

On the other hand, the average groundwater level in the city has increased by more than 3 meters in November after the recent rains, when compared to the groundwater level in October.

As per Metro Water data, Chennai’s groundwater table was at 5.42 meters below the ground level and it has risen to 2.30 meters in November.

None of the city zones has a groundwater table below 3 meters except Royapuram (4.81 meters) and Teynampet (3.23 meters). Adyar (0.54 meters) and Valasaravakkam (0.60 meters) have the best groundwater table. Meanwhile, the table has increased to 6.95 meters in the Thiru Vi Ka Nagar zone.