Important news regarding WRD tripling Chennai’s water storage!!
This prediction from the WRD consultant could cause sleepless nights for many Chennaites!!
A mammoth amount of Rs 14000 crores would be spent for restoring Chennai reservoirs!! Sound’s unbelievable right!!
The residents of Chennai would be shocked to know that by 2050 Chennai would need thrice the drinking water storage and there might be a water crisis also. This was predicted by the WRD or Water Resources Department. For this, the WRD or Water Resources Department has unveiled its mammoth Rs 140000 cr plan now. The amount would be used by WRD to restore lakes and tanks plus to build new reservoirs and new structures etc.
A detailed feasibility report has been prepared by Royal Haskoning DHV, WRD consultant. As per the consultant analysis, it was clear that Chennai`s water storage demand would increase thrice that is to 38.73 tmc from the current 11 tmc. Point is that out of 1164 projects proposed by the consultant as many as 704 essential projects were approved by WRD and these would be executed in the next 10 years.
Information gathered is that the works would be spread across 12 basins including Chennai and Palar and as many as 350 water tanks like Thenneri, Sriperumbudur, Thirunindavur, Manimangalam and Pillaipakkam would be restored. It is known that these are Chembarambakkam’s catchment sources. Not only these, but also OMRs chain of 64 water tanks like Narayanapuram, Thalambur, Semmencherry etc would also be restored by WRD.
It was later brought out by Mr. Mahesh Nagarajan, superintending engineer of WRD that restoring these tanks into mini catchments could enable storage of 0.25 tmc to 0.5 tmc. He spoke about how WRD has got plans to restore as many as 1150 tanks around Chennai suburbs by deepening and bund creation with sluice gates to prevent sewage entry. Once restoration gets completed, the neighbourhoods around water tanks would be self sufficient. Moreover, they would not have to depend on major reservoirs.
Alternative sources have been given importance and not giving a major boost to the Chennai city’s 5 reservoirs. In the upstream locations of 3 rivers such as Cooum, Adyar and Palar, 12 reservoirs would be constructed. In the future, Chembarambakkam reservoir would be exclusively for core places in Chennai. Three reservoirs would be executed by the WRD one at Salt Lake on ECR, another one near Tamil classical institute in Perumbakkam on a 300 acre revenue poramboke land.
Mr. Mahesh mentioned that the Perumbakkam reservoir would give 1.7tmc to 2.25 tmc and the ECR site would provide another 2tmc. Drainage into Pallikaranaii would be prevented by these reservoirs. By creating ponds along the freshwater courses, WRD has planned 402 groundwater recharge structures.
