Chennai Water Crisis & the Mismanagement

Chennai is facing a massive drinking water crisis with Tamil Nadu registering 41% rainfall shortage this summer. Vast scale development projects and illegal encroachments over decades have covered the huge areas of water bodies resulting in this crisis.

Hospitals in its third-largest city are completely dependent on a fleet of privately-owned tankers.

This is Map Location
This is Image Show in Water Crisis in Tamil Nadu

Crisis Overview & the Reasons

  • Chennai used to be a water-surplus metro of the country few decades ago.
  • 2 dozen water bodies including three rivers and a British period Buckingham canal never made the city run out of water. These water bodies are reduced to a half dozen recently.
  • Storage in four main water reservoirs of Chennai is at less than one percent level.
  • The three main rivers The Cooum, The Adyar and The Kosasthalaiyar flow into the Bay of Bengal through Chennai are almost dried except few patches here and there.
  • Water resources such as Red Hills, Sholavaram and Chemabarambakkam lakes have completely dried up.
  • Out of 6,000 water bodies in the form of lakes and ponds only 3,896 are remaining. As many as 150 water bodies have disappeared.
  • The North Chennai gets its water from reservoirs in Thamaraipakkam and Minjur desalination plant. Whereas the South Chennai gets its water from Veeranam lake and Nemmeli Seawater desalination plant.
  • According to the Study of The Centre of Climate Change the development projects such as the construction of highways and flyovers, airports etc are the main reasons for the depletion of water resources in Chennai.

People՚s Approach

  • People are mostly dependent on water tankers and curtailed municipal supply for daily requirement of drinking water.
  • While the packaged water can only be sustained by wealthier middle-class, the price of Bottled water has gone up by four times.
  • The rainwater structures in most of the buildings is helping the city with crisis to an extent.

Government՚s Approach

  • The government also announced a 220km train that would run from Jolarpettai to Chennai carrying water every day.
  • The cost would involve ₹ 65 crore per day. The 50-wagon trains would make four trips daily to supply water.
  • The State government has accepted Kerala՚s offer to provide 20 lakh litres of water per day.
  • The Karnataka government has been ordered by the Cauvery Management Authority to release water to Tamil Nadu.
  • Andhra government have been approached for sharing the water.
  • State government has issued an order to take up traditional water body restoration. The government has allotted ₹ 212 crore for digging deep bore wells.
  • Traditional rituals such Yagna are also being practiced to invoke Gods to deliver trains.

Examrace Team at Aug 21, 2021