Summer solace for Chennai: Three lakes full after 3 decades
CHENNAI: Amid an erratic northeast monsoon, Chennai has received a major boost to its drinking water supply, with the citys three main reservoirs reaching their full capacity on Saturday after 29 years. This is a significant milestone for the city, which has faced repeated water shortages in the past. According to data from the Water Resources Department (WRD), accessed by TNIE on Saturday morning, Poondi reservoir has hit its full capacity of 3,231 million cubic feet (mcft) of water, Red Hills reservoirs storage level is at 3,300 mcft, and Chembarambakkam reservoir, too, has hit its 100%-capacity mark with 3,645 mcft of water. These three reservoirs are the primary sources of drinking water for Chennai and its surrounding areas. Highlighting that the three reservoirs were filled in a synchronous manner with proper utilisation of intricate system of canals, a communication by the Executive Engineer (Kosastalaiyar Basin Division, Thiruvallur) of the Water Resources Department said, With available records and after modification of Chembarambakkam tank as controlled gated structure in 1996, this is the first time in 29 years that all three major Chennai lakes reached their full reservoir level. Paradigm shift in citys water reservoir ops The WRD communication marked this as a paradigm shift balancing the water security protocol and the flood regulation protocol, and marked a significant milestone in Chennais water supply history. It further said, this milestone, besides acting as a predecessor for having such a balanced approach in operating the citys reservoirs, also emphasised the need for revising the age old compendium to modern climate change phenomena. A senior WRD official told TNIE that, as per union government guidelines, reservoirs are usually maintained at only 90% to 95% of their total capacity to keep buffer space for sudden inflows. However, even though there has been no significant rainfall in the recent days in the catchment areas, the reservoirs have continued to receive steady inflow from their sources. As a result, they have reached full capacity, the official said. The official added that surplus water would be released gradually in the coming days through surplus channels to create space for any additional rain expected during the remaining monsoon period. Another senior official highlighted the long-term benefits of the current storage levels. With adequate space and sufficient storage, Chennai and its suburbs will be able to meet their water needs during the summer months without difficulty. For the next six to eight months, there may not be any need to depend on Krishna water from neighbouring Andhra Pradesh, the official said. As of Saturday, Chennais six drinking water reservoirs together hold 12.30 thousand million cubic feet (tmcft) of water, which is 93.09% of their total capacity of 13.21 tmcft, offering much-needed relief to the city.
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