Chennai mulls way out of water deficit, flood whammy

CHENNAI: In an effort to bridge the gap between water demand and supply of Chennai city, the State government has accorded administrative and financial sanction for Rs 5 crore to prepare a detailed project report for future initiatives, which also includes a plan to combat floods and climate change in the State capital.

The government order released by the Water Resources Department (WRD), stated that current water demand for Chennai, according to Chennai Water Supply and Sewerage Board (CMWSSB) is 1,720 million litres per day (MLD). However, the current water supply from the available resources is only 1,040 MLD.

CMWSSB has envisaged that the city will need 38.73 thousand million cubic meters (TMC) of water in 2050; however, the current supply is only 11.50 TMC.

The government order also highlights that Chennai city and its suburbs have experienced frequent floods, which have become disastrous in recent years.

To bridge the significant gap between water supply and demand, and mitigate flood damages, the Tamil Nadu government sanctioned Rs 5.02 crore to devise a detailed plan under the Chennai City Partnership as part of the World Bank-funded project for sustainable urban services.

The primary objective of the proposed water security plan is to assess the pre-feasibility of projects identified by WRD in the Chennai water basin, to make the city water-abundant and flood-resilient.

Based on the pre-feasibility study recommendations, the water security plan is projected to implement 287 short-term projects (lasting 5 years), 263 medium-term projects (lasting 10 years), and 154 long-term projects, as stated in the government order.

Through these projects, the State aims to restore water supply channels, treat catchment areas, strengthen flood banks, construct check dams, and perform several other works.