Chennai water crisis: Residents pay double, Industries badly hit

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Chennai: Tamil Nadu continues to face acute water shortage as residents complain of erratic water supply through tankers as some localities do not have piped water supply.Chennai is facing frought for the third year in a row and have piped water supply by 40 percent.

The ruling AIADMK called for all-party meet to discuss about the water crisis. The state administration has sought an aid of around Rs 5,398 crore from the centre to address the water crisis in its capital and the state.

Water is being supplied through tankers and desalinated water is also being distributed,” Chief Minister E Palaniswami said.

Real estate developers have stopped construction work in major parts of the city due to water crisis. Chennai’s largest source of drinking water,the reservoirs like the Chembarambakkam lake have dried-up, water levels have plummeted due to scanty rain.

Demand for water in the city has gone up by 47 per cent in the last decade from from 750 MLD in 2008 to 1,100 MLD in 2018.Against a total of 11,257mcft capacity, the four reservoirs supplying water to Chennai have less than 35mcft water left in store.

In 2018, rainfall in Chennai had been at the lowest at 75.55 centimeter as against 149.5 centimeter in 2017. The city has seen the longest dry spell in a decade this year, with no rains for over 190 days since last north east monsoon period.

The shortage of water has hit IT companies, five-star hotels and high-rise residential buildings. companies in the the IT-hub of Old Mahabalipuram Road (OMR) have started asking their employees to work from home. According to reports over 60 per cent of the daily 3 crore litre water distributed in OMR is used by IT companies.

The Madras High Court sought a detailed report about number of lakes and reservoirs in Tamil Nadu besides steps taken for desilting.