Chennai Metrowater plans to sink additional borewells at various places in a few days to maintain the present water supply till October.
Water supply from the major reservoirs had dropped to bare minimum as the recent spell of rain did not add much to the storage. Only about 20 cusecs was being drawn from the reservoir in Red Hills lake that is nearly bone dry now after 13 years.
On Monday, the combined storage of reservoirs stood at 108 million cubic feet against their capacity of 11,057 mcft.
In order to maintain the present supply of 470 mld, Metrowater was planning to sink about 20 additional borewells in the Neyveli belt and in the well fields in Poondi.
Piped supply had dwindled and had even been suspended in several areas across the city. Residents also complained that tanker supply on payment too was delayed by 10-11 days after booking. Consumers in several areas like Kodambakkam, Alwarpet and Mylapore said that sewage had mixed with water supplied through pipelines.
Metrowater sources said supply from the Chembarambakkam lake was suspended as water was muddy. Piped supply to some tail-end areas too had to be stopped as there was not sufficient water pressure.
“We are able to give only 40% to 50% of water supply through pipeline as main sources have dried up. We plan to manage the present supply with groundwater sources. It may be further reduced to 430 mld if the water crisis continues,” an official said.
100 mld from farm wells
Metrowater had recently stepped up supply from 90 mld to 115 mld in borewells sunk in Neyveli mines and Paravanar belt. Moreover, about 100 mld was being extracted from agricultural wells hired in Tiruvallur district. Groundwater sources in Metrowater-owned well fields contributed up to 25 mld.
Besides the major share of supply from desalination plants, water from quarries and Porur lake were also used for city’s water supply. “We are keeping the option to draw water from borewells in the city fringes as a last resort as it would be an expensive option in terms of transportation cost through lorries,” sources said.
Water supply from the major reservoirs had dropped to bare minimum as the recent spell of rain did not add much to the storage. Only about 20 cusecs was being drawn from the reservoir in Red Hills lake that is nearly bone dry now after 13 years.
On Monday, the combined storage of reservoirs stood at 108 million cubic feet against their capacity of 11,057 mcft.
In order to maintain the present supply of 470 mld, Metrowater was planning to sink about 20 additional borewells in the Neyveli belt and in the well fields in Poondi.
Piped supply had dwindled and had even been suspended in several areas across the city. Residents also complained that tanker supply on payment too was delayed by 10-11 days after booking. Consumers in several areas like Kodambakkam, Alwarpet and Mylapore said that sewage had mixed with water supplied through pipelines.
Metrowater sources said supply from the Chembarambakkam lake was suspended as water was muddy. Piped supply to some tail-end areas too had to be stopped as there was not sufficient water pressure.
“We are able to give only 40% to 50% of water supply through pipeline as main sources have dried up. We plan to manage the present supply with groundwater sources. It may be further reduced to 430 mld if the water crisis continues,” an official said.
100 mld from farm wells
Metrowater had recently stepped up supply from 90 mld to 115 mld in borewells sunk in Neyveli mines and Paravanar belt. Moreover, about 100 mld was being extracted from agricultural wells hired in Tiruvallur district. Groundwater sources in Metrowater-owned well fields contributed up to 25 mld.
Besides the major share of supply from desalination plants, water from quarries and Porur lake were also used for city’s water supply. “We are keeping the option to draw water from borewells in the city fringes as a last resort as it would be an expensive option in terms of transportation cost through lorries,” sources said.