Chennai faces its biggest water crisis in modern times

Chennai faces its biggest water crisis in modern times

A water crisis on a scale that few elders recall having witnessed in their lifetime has hit Chennai, the bustling capital of Tamil Nadu.

FPJ BureauUpdated: Wednesday, June 19, 2019, 06:43 AM IST
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Chennai: A water crisis on a scale that few elders recall having witnessed in their lifetime has hit Chennai, the bustling capital of Tamil Nadu. The reservoirs of Red Hills, Sholavaram, Chembarambakkam and Poondi that cater to the water requirements of the expanding metropolis have gone bone dry.

An extended drought situation - last year the city hardly had any rains - has led to severe depletion of groundwater table resulting in not just shortage of potable water, but non-availability of adequate water for use in kitchens and bathrooms as well.

The water scarcity is so severe that while some eateries have shut shop, medium scale restaurants have suspended serving full meals in their menu and replacing plates and bowls with plantain leaves as washing vessels has become a herculean task.

“Even if we are willing to pay for water, the private tanker owners are unable to supply as there is no water source to tap in Chennai and its neighbouring Tiruvallur and Kancheepuram districts.

Cooking rice and sambar (dal) on a large scale consumes a lot of water. So some restaurants have restricted their menu to tiffin items alone,” said an office bearer of the Chennai Hotels Association in T Nagar.

On the Old Mahabalipuram Road, which is the Information Technology corridor of Tamil Nadu housing numerous software development and BPO firms, sections of employees have been informally asked to work from home to reduce water usage in rest rooms.

“We can’t shut down completely. So we have asked only employees, whose presence is not physically required here, to take the work from home option for some days,” admitted a Human Resource officer of a private software company.

However, officially the companies have not mentioned water scarcity as the reason since the Government is keen that the issue is not blown up lest it reflect badly on its water management.

In fact, the Government is living in self denial. Municipal Administration Minister SP Velumani is on record alleging that the media is exaggerating the ground situation.

“No restaurants have been shut down. No company has asked employees to work from home. There is no water crisis (on the scale projected). We are doing our best to supply water,” he said.

The ground reality though is different. Households are complaining bubble top cans have become scarce. “If we order for three cans (of 20 litres each) water, the boy at the stores where we regularly buy water, is delivering only one.

The wait time for water tankers of the Chennai Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board has gone up to 18 days - this means if I place an order today, it will be delivered only in the first weekend of next month.

In our apartments, they have asked residents not to use water for washing cars and cleaning floors,” said Sandhya Pinto, a homemaker in Raja Annamalai Puram.

Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami too maintained that reports of water scarcity are being exaggerated but said that the State has to depend only on groundwater.

“There is need to manage with available water till the monsoon sets in by October or November. The people have to cooperate understanding the situation,” he said.

By Dravida Thambi

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