A portion of the work to create another reservoir in Orathur near Padappai to meet Chennai’s growing drinking water needs and prevent flooding is in progress.
Although it is slated to be completed this year-end, labour shortage during the lockdown pushed the deadline to next year.
About 30% of the work on the ₹60-crore project had been completed so far. The reservoir would be formed across the Orathur tributary of the Adyar and also by linking two waterbodies in Orathur and Arambakkam.
Officials of the Water Resources Department said as there were no major waterbodies near the tributaries, flood water often drained into the sea and inundated the southern suburbs.
The project was chalked out as part of the flood mitigation measures and on similar lines of the Thervoy Kandigai-Kannankottai project.
Work on regulators
Spread over 763 acres, the reservoir would store up to 1.35 tmcft of water when filled twice a year.
“We have completed 50% of the work to construct regulators with five shutters for a width of 8 metres. We are managing the work with 50% of the workforce because of the lockdown,†said an official.
Of the 3,200-metre-long bund to be formed for a height of three metres, the department is working on a space of 1,400 metres.
“We are waiting for the process of land acquisition to be completed for about 100 acres. Instead of compensation, the landowners will be given government lands located downstream in exchange. Work to build the bund in the remaining portion will be taken up after the process,†the official said.
Besides storing floodwater in the reservoir, the surplus water estimated about 150 mcft would be transferred to Padappai, Manimangalam and Ammanambakkam lakes through inter-basin transfer channels.
Water could be transferred even during this monsoon as work had been completed, the officials added.
Once completed, nearly 12 lakh people could be provided with drinking water from the project.
A 25-km-long pipeline would carry 100 million litres of water daily to Chembarambakkam water treatment plant. Work was expected to be completed in June next year, officials said.