City water managers turn to Porur lake to tide over crisis

Officials said Metro Water would draw four lakh litres of water per day for the next three months to augment regular supply of water to the city. A temporary water treatment plant would be set up near the lake, said the officials. 

Ever since the north-east monsoon left the water bodies dry, Metro Water is looking at every possible water source to extract water. 

In such a situation, the abundant storage level in the water body provided them some hope albeit temporarily. 

“We are aware that Porur lake was once a big source for drinking water. Later, the need to tap its water was not felt and PWD officials were even gearing up to take up lake restoration work recently,” said an official. 

“Water samples have been taken and sent for lab approval. Since pipes from Veeranam lake passed through the lake, the treated water would be pumped into it for use,” said another official. 

Old Mahabalipuram Road (OMR) is suffering from an acute water crisis forcing even IT firms to issue notices to their staff to use water economically, especially after water tanker lorries went on a strike on Monday, demanding licence to draw groundwater.

Riaz Ahmed, a banker living in Thoraipakkam, said the entire OMR stretch relies on water supply from these tankers. 

“The bore well water is not potable. We rely on these tankers and we don’t have storage facility for more than a day. We have exhausted our water storage, after the strike started on Monday. We are forced to buy bottled water for our needs. In some areas, the price of bottled water has been hiked. A few residents have moved to houses of friends and relatives in the city,” said the 40-year-old, who is the secretary of TVH Svasti Owners’ Resident Welfare Association, which has 280 apartments, consuming five water tankers. 

The IT giants, which dot the OMR, are also feeling the pinch. Employees of Tech Mahindra received a notice asking them to conserve water. C Meenakshi Sundaram, Location Head, HR, said that they are running on water saved in storage tanks. 

“We have also informed the leadership teams to be prepared for a Business Community Plan, which involves shifting key resources to our offices in other cities. We are also exploring the option of letting employees work from home,” said the IT professional.