Chennai: The Chennai Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (Metrowater) has resumed drawing water from the Veeranam tank in Cuddalore district since late May, following the inflow from the Mettur reservoir in Salem district. Initially, water was released at a rate of 1,700 cubic feet per second (cusecs), which has now been reduced to 600 cusecs. Currently, Metrowater is drawing 165 million litres of water per day (MLD) from Veeranam, a slight decrease from the 174 MLD drawn during the same period last year, according to a Metrowater engineer.
The water from Veeranam is initially sent to Porur Lake before being supplied to residents in Alandur, Adyar, and parts of Kodambakkam and Teynampet. As of Thursday, the Veeranam tank held 590 million cubic feet (mcft) of water against its full capacity of 1,465 mcft. In February, the tank had reached its dead storage level, prompting Metrowater to halt water extraction. The current substantial storage is a result of the state Water Resources Department (WRD) releasing water from the Mettur Dam in May, primarily for drinking purposes, following requests from Metrowater and the Tamil Nadu Water Supply and Drainage (TWAD) Board.
The total storage in the five reservoirs, excluding Veeranam, that supply water to Chennai stands at approximately 6,000 mcft, which is about 51% of their full capacity of 11,757 mcft. This combined storage level, along with the water from Veeranam, is expected to be sufficient to meet the city’s water requirements for the next six months, according to officials. A senior Metrowater official indicated that the storage level in the Chembarambakkam reservoir, the largest of the five with a capacity of 3,645 mcft, is anticipated to rise following the 8 cm of rain recorded in the area on Thursday. The Red Hills and Kannankottai Thervoikandigai reservoirs are currently at 89% and 63% of their full capacities, respectively.
Chennai’s monthly water requirement is estimated at 1 thousand million cubic feet (tmcft). The strategic management and augmentation of water resources, including the utilisation of Veeranam tank, highlight the efforts to ensure a stable water supply for the city’s residents amidst fluctuating weather patterns and varying reservoir levels.
