There’s more bad news on the water front. One quarry at Sikkarayapuram, located a few kilometres west of Chembarambakkam, has dried up. Metrowater had started pumping water from the quarry using heavy-duty pumps. Now, the agency has begun pumping operations from a nearby, not easily accessible quarry, directing the water to the older one. Sources said the quarry will only be able to sustain water supply for another two months.
In the city, the situation is steadily worsening, with the quantum of piped water supply falling by the day in several parts. Piped water supply has already been stopped in several areas in north Chennai, including Peravallur, Jawahar Nagar and Kolathur.
Last week’s proposed private water tanker strike could have worsened the situation, especially in areas such as the OMR and the ECR, which are entirely served by these vehicles. The strike was, however, called off in time.
In the southern areas, including Adyar, Thiruvanmiyur and Velachery, residents are able to see a clear reduction in the quantity of piped water supply, available on alternate days. Dinakar Rao, a resident of Radhakrishnan Nagar in Thiruvanmiyur, said residents were getting water through the pipeline network, though not on a regular basis. Similarly, residents of Velachery are also getting piped water supply, but only in a few streets.
Residents who are getting water through water tankers are forced to wait for several days from the date of booking.
However, the situation is worsening in the added areas of the city and its suburbs. In areas such as Nanganallur, Madipakkam, Perungudi, Palavakkam and Neelankarai, and suburbs such as Medavakkam, Moovarasampet and Keelkattalai, residents are forced to pay steep rates for water supplied by private tankers.
The going rate for a 12,000-litre tanker is anywhere between ₹4,000 and ₹4,500, while for 6,000-litre tankers, the rate is ₹2,000. The Metrowater rate for 6,000 litres is ₹475, and for 9,000 litres it is ₹700.
In the suburbs and the extended areas, private water tankers have started using water scarcity as an excuse to increase rates, say residents.
Tackling backlog
A senior official of the Chennai Metro Water Supply and Sewerage Board said that out of the 34,000 streets with a piped network, around 4,000 streets, which are in the terminal end, would not get water due to lack of pressure, he added.
Regarding the delay in getting water through Metrowater tankers, the official said normally 500 vehicles, hired from private parties, would do 5,000 trips daily. But since the launch of water tanker booking through ‘Dial for Water’ online and via phone, it was smooth sailing until a few months ago.
As news of water scarcity spread, residents started “panic” booking, leading to a huge backlog. At present, water tanker booking backlog stands at 12 days. To ease the situation, Metrowater has already started operating mini-water tankers of 2,000-litre and 3,000-litre capacity.
Sources in the Metrowater explained that with the Cauvery authority directing Karnataka to release 9.19 tmcft, they were hopeful that water would come to Veeranam to serve the city till November.