Chennai: Even as the fight against the coronavirus continues, Chennaiites are fortunate to have been spared from the perennial water scarcity this summer. The usual scene of men and women swarming a water tanker appears to have vanished for good.
Many would not have forgotten the image of a well, crowded with women waiting for their turn, to fetch water at suburban Pallavaram last year. That image reached a wider international audience after Hollywood star Leonardo DiCaprio had tweeted it. The unprecedented water scarcity of 2019 which crippled the city is unlikely to revisit this time around.
Four major lakes on its periphery – Poondi, Puzhal, Chembarambakkam and Sholavaram – continue to remain the primary source of water supply for Chennai city. All the four put together to have a combined storage of 11.5 TMC ft of water.
Under the Telugu Ganga Project, neighbouring Andhra Pradesh is supplying 318 cubic ft of Krishna water to the Poondi reservoir. As of March, storage in the four major water bodies stood at 6450 MCft. While the Poondi reservoir received 5.9 TMC ft water in March, 453 cubic ft is being released to Chembarambakkam and 10 cubic ft to Metro Water.
Following the lockdown due to COVID-19, hotels, factories, and the IT sector, as well as other business establishments, remained closed for more than two months, which sharply reduced the demand for water.
Water crisis and Government efforts
While nature has not been so harsh this year, the COVID-19 lockdown has considerably eased the burden on Metro water. However, officials maintain that the state government was pro-active to ensure adequate water supply to all sections of the population.
Sharing information about projects that have been completed, Metro Water (CMWSSB) Executive Director T Prabhushankar said that projects entrusted during the coronavirus pandemic were successful and that the organisation is gearing up to execute the next phase.
According to him, the Tertiary Treatment and Reverse Osmosis (TTRO) plants in Perungudi and Nesapakkam have treated over 10 MLD of water. "Further, we have carried out lifting water from the small lakes in Perumbakkam, Ayanambakkam, Perungudi and Retteri. Drinking water supply is commendable in 10 regions including Pallikaranai, Nerkundram and Valasaravakkam. Around one lakh tap connections have been provided under the ‘water connection on-call’ scheme as well," said Prabhushankar.
In the areas newly added to the city corporation, water supply is being provided through tankers. In a significant development, all water supply areas of the city have been coordinated through GIS mapping. Further, he pointed out that identified groundwater sources in over 200 places have been brought to use. He also credited Metro Water with providing training and implementing rehabilitation programmes for the conservancy workers.
Ground reality and Peoples’ response
While Metro Water paints a rosy picture, residents of Royapuram locality in North Chennai complain that they are not getting adequate water supply and are suffering due to erratic water supply. They blamed the government for not taking steps to ensure the supply of proper drinking water.
Chennaiites are reeling under the oppressive summer heat with no respite. While Metro Water maintains that it was supplying 700 MLD of water, covering all the 200 wards of the corporation, complaints are in abundance as residents claim that this is not the case as many areas are being conveniently left out.
Residents of Royapuram and its neighbourhood alleged that they get water supply only on alternative days and that too for an hour an half early in the morning. They plead that their needs be taken into account as they have no source other than Metro Water.
“The borewells, public as well as private ones, in our area have dried up and we are dependent upon Metro Water tankers. We have no other option. Now, water is supplied through tankers on alternative days, which is insufficient to meet our household requirements. At present, the tankers arrive very early in the morning at 5:30 am and water supply lasts for just two hours. For this, we have to wait on the roadside even before dawn. Our only plea is to increase the water supply time and extend tanker service on a daily basis,” said the women of Royapuram in unison.
Inquiries in other areas revealed that the services of nearly 900 water tankers have been suspended as a measure to contain the spread of the deadly coronavirus. Instead, Metro Water has augmented piped water supply. However, residents complain that this has many shortcomings that have not been addressed. Further, it was found that most of the areas were receiving water on alternative days. The general public of North Chennai from Tondiarpet and Royapuram to Pulianthope air the same complaint. And it is the residents of the Slum Clearance Board tenements who bear the brunt of this. But, Metro Water maintains that in the case of supply on alternative days, supply duration has been enhanced to three hours.
Countering Metro Water claim that water is supplied for three hours at a stretch, residents of SN Chetty Street and adjoining areas said if that is the case then they would have not complained at all.
“We will ascertain the situation in these areas and take necessary action,” responded Metro Water Superintending Engineer Ramasamy.
Similarly, when contacted, Metro Water Executive Engineer for Royapuram, Gajapathy said that water is being supplied for a minimum of three hours.
“With regard to the complaints from the public, I assure you to inquire immediately and redress their grievances,” he assured.
Usually, the city used to face acute water shortage. But, this summer the storage in the four lakes, the lifeline of the teeming metro with a population of 10.5 million is at a comfortable level of 5.2 TMC.
It is expected that the government would ensure better domestic supply and alleviate the sufferings of the public from the scorching summer.
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