CHENNAI: Due to insufficient rainfall in the catchment areas this summer, water inflow has reduced significantly in many reservoirs that cater to Chennai, according to a Maalaimalar report.
Chennai's primary drinking water sources, Puzhal, Poondi, Chembarambakkam, Cholavaram, Kannankottai, and Thervoykandigai lakes, have a combined storage capacity of 11,757 million cubic feet.
As of Sunday, the total reserves in these lakes stood at 6,682 mcft, which points to a decline of 56.83 percent from their full capacity. The current water levels in Puzhal Lake is 2456 mcft, Poondi Lake is 2251 mcft, Chembarambakkam Lake is 1,594 mcft, Thervoykandigai Lake is 274 mcft, and Cholavaram Lake is 157 mcft.
According to experts, Chennai requires an average of 1 TMC (1,000 mcft) of drinking water per month. With current reserves at 6 TMC, officials from the Chennai Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board have assured that there will be no water shortage this year.
Apart from this, desalination plants in Meenjur and Nemmeli are purifying seawater, which aids in a steady daily supply of drinking water. Authorities said that they are continuing to monitor the situation and have requested the public to use water responsibly.