The Hindu : Tamil Nadu News : Alternate day water supply resumed in Chennai

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Oct 14, 2004

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

Alternate day water supply resumed in Chennai

By Our Special Correspondent

CHENNAI, OCT. 13. Alternate day water supply to Chennai was resumed this afternoon, the Chief Minister, Jayalalithaa, announced.

"In the initial few days, the lines will be charged and flushed, after which alternate day supply will be stabilised. When the piped water supply is given on alternate days, it is possible that in some tail-end pockets water may not reach. For these pockets, mobile water supply will be continued till the system stabilises. In the areas not served by piped water supply, Metrowater will continue to provide mobile tanker water supply," she said in a statement.

(People have been advised not to consume water during the period of flushing.)

The resumption became possible as Metrowater had been drawing and pumping 180 million litres a day (MLD) from the Veeranam lake (about 230 km south of Chennai) since this afternoon, without relying on water from borewells in the Panruti-Neyveli aquifer. The full quantity was now being supplied to the city. "This completely demolishes all the unfounded criticism about the New Veeranam Project so unfairly levelled against my Government by Opposition leaders and others," Ms. Jayalalithaa said.

The Chief Minister said the project had been completed in an "excellent manner in record time." She ensured that it would provide a reliable source of supply to the city even if Chennai's three storage reservoirs did not have adequate water because of the failure of the northeast monsoon. In the context of non-availability of water from the storage reservoirs and Krishna supply yet to reach the city, the commencement of piped supply again would indicate how the completion of the project had come "at the most appropriate time" to serve the needs of the people.

`Ryots will not suffer'

Allaying the apprehensions of farmers dependent on the Veeranam lake, Ms. Jayalalithaa said her Government was taking efforts to ensure that the drawal of water for Chennai did not affect their interests. "The entire supply to Chennai is made possible by additional releases from the Grand Anicut. The Veeranam lake is being used mainly as an intermediate storage reservoir. Thus, no one can ever say that the farmers in the Veeranam lake ayacut have, in any way, been affected," she asserted.

Ms. Jayalalithaa said she launched the project in February 2003 as there was an urgent necessity for an additional water source for the city to avert a "looming crisis" which would be "extremely difficult to handle." But several Opposition leaders and others criticised the move, saying "there was no water available in the Veeranam lake and the scheme would be infructuous," she recalled.

Evacuation averted

"Today, my stand is totally vindicated and all those who like doubting Thomases and wailing Cassandras predicted doom have been proved wrong". Had it not been for the New Veeranam Project, Chennai city would have been evacuated in the summer of 2004, "which I prevented," Ms. Jayalalithaa said.

``People will recognise the systematic manner in which I am undertaking a combination of measures consisting of (drawal of) water from the existing three storage reservoirs, Krishna water supply, groundwater-based wellfields supply, followed by water from the New Veeranam Project and ultimately a desalination plant to provide the total water needs of 840 MLD of the Chennai Metropolitan Area.''

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