One more reservoir would be built on the city fringes. As part of the flood mitigation measures in southern suburbs, a new reservoir would be formed in Orathur near Padappai that would be used to supply drinking water to the city and the neighbouring areas.
The reservoir would be formed across Orathur tributary of Adyar river in Sriperumbudur taluk.
The Water Resources Department plans to create the reservoir by linking waterbodies in Orathur and Arambakkam. A reservoir on similar lines is being constructed in Tiruvallur district by connecting lakes in Thervoy Kandigai and Kannankottai.
Officials expect to complete the reservoir work in two years. “There is not much land acquisition involved. We have compensated for a few land parcels falling in the reservoir area by granting lands downstream,” said an official.
The reservoir would be able to store 555 mcft which would otherwise drain into the Adyar river. If filled twice a year, it would supply about 1,000 mcft of water through a 25-km-long pipeline to Chembarambakkam water treatment plant.
Transfer channel
Chennai and neighbouring areas along Adyar river basin would get an additional 85 million litres of water a day through this project, the officials said. Floodwater draining into the Adyar river could be saved by constructing an intra-basin transfer channel from Orathur reservoir to Manimangalam tank through Ammanambakkam and Padappai tanks. The Water Resources Department has already started the work, which would reduce inundation in Varadharajapuram, Mudichur and Perungulathur, officials said.