'Desilt water bodies on outskirts for better supply'

CHENNAI: The city is in for a water-scarce summer as the monsoon has failed and will look to draw water from Tiruvallur, Kancheepuram and Arakkonam taluk of Vellore district. This could lead to protests from local people against tankers from Chennai 'stealing' their water.

However, there could be a solution to this problem, at least for the next year. Former professor of the Madras Institute of Development Studies S Janakarajan suggests that Metrowater take up deepening and de-silting of 4,100 water bodies that are located in the extended Chennai Metropolitan Area comprising Kancheepuram and Tiruvallur districts and Arakkonam taluk. If these tanks are restored to their original capacity, they can hold 200 thousand million cubic feet (tmcft) of water, more than enough to supply the city and its outlying areas, he says. Chennai needs 1 tmcft of water a month.

This is the only permanent and ecologically sustainable solution, Janakarajan says.

When water bodies are not maintained, packagedwater distribution companies thrive. In and around the city, 800 such units are functioning, Besides, many water tanker owners tap agricultural fields, depleting grounwater in rural areas. It's for the district administrations to take action against such illegal tapping of ground water, says a senior Metrowater official.

Janakarajan says the very heavily contaminated water that flows through Chennai's rivers and the Buckingham Canal seeps underground. The borewells sunk along these river banks in the city yield only heavily contaminated water. Using this water can result in serious health problems, he warns.

The Metrowater official said the agency was drawing water from Retteri, Ayanambakkam and Perumbakkam water bodies. A water treatment plant would be installed in each of these water bodies, for which tenders had been called. Metrowater plans to release water treated at its plants in the city into the water bodies to reduce pollutant levels, he added.