Porur lake to quench Chennai’s thirst

The Chennai Metro Water Supply and Sewerage Board (CMWSSB) has been gearing up to draw water from the Porur lake from next week onwards to meet the drinking water demand. Metro water board officials said that works like setting up of a temporary water treatment plant and laying pipelines are in full swing. Treated water would be supplied to South Chennai, where water crisis is looming large, they added. 

Official sources said that lakes like Poondi and Cholavaram have hardly 0.5 tmc of water. Worse still, Chembarambakkam and Red Hills lakes went completely dry and this might prompt officials to reduce the water supply from 830 MLD a day to below 500 MLD to the city. 

“We are facing a tough time to tide over the water crisis from these lakes. Further, Porur lake has considerable level of storage, so we decided to tap the water earlier by establishing a treatment plant on the banks of the lake,” they added. “Water samples from the lake have been already sent to King Institute and it showed that water is fit for consumption. We would draw four lakh liter of water a day to increase the supply to the city. Treated water would be connected to the Veeranam supply lines, which are passing through the Porur lake,” said a senior engineer, seeking anonymity. 

“Our focus will be on the supply to residents of South Chennai,” the official said. 

Welcoming the move, residents of South Chennai heaved a sigh of relief. P Viswanathan, coordinator, Chitlapakkam Residents Association, said, “It is a fact that South Chennai is reeling under water scarcity and we are receiving water twice in a week. Moreover, we are getting water from private water tankers at high rates. If Metro Water Board supplies water to South Chennai, it will be good for us.”