As groundwater sources dry up, Metro Water now at sky’s mercy

Sources said that water level in the Mero Water lakes like Chembarambakkam and Poondi reservoirs has less than 0.5 tmc of water and supply to many areas is disrupted in the city. Though officials claimed that they had increased the number of metro water contractual lorries and brought water from borewells in Thiruvallur district, water scarcity is still prevailing in many areas. 

Meanwhile, residents lament that they receive water only once a week. “There is no regular water supply and we rely completely on private tankers. Sometimes we receive contaminated water. As ground water depletes, chances are high for water from borewells to get contaminated,” said M Hari, a resident of Kolathur. He added that the officials should ensure the quality of water and stop supplying hastily contaminated water. 

An area engineer of Metro Water board said that they were ensuring that all the residents in the city get water. “We are keen to supply water only to residents. If any tanker was found illegally supplying water to construction site and commercial establishments, we will cancel their contracts,” the official said. 

A senior official of CMWSSB said that enough measures were in place to lessen the water scarcity in the city. “We are supplying adequate supply of water to residents and works are in full swing to draw water from Porur lake and from stone quarries. We will tap water from these sources from next month,” the official said. Though summer rains were good, it was not the only option available to us and we are exploring other ground water sources,” he said.