Jayalalithaa orders release of additional drinking water for Chennai as reservoirs fill up

CHENNAI: With torrential downpour raising the storage of reservoirs, Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalithaa on Tuesday ordered release of 830MLD (million litres a day) to meet Chennai’s drinking water needs. The combined storage of reservoirs stood at 9.5tmcft (thousand million cubic feet).
Chennai Metro Water had been supplying 535 MLD due to inadequate storage in Poondi, Cholavaram, Chembarambakkam and Red Hills reservoirs for the last two years.
In a statement, Jayalalithaa said the increased water release was based on the present storage, supply from desalination plants at Nemmili and Minjur (having a capacity to treat 100 million litres a day) and Veeranam scheme (supply from Veeranam tank in Cuddalore).
“Chennai residents will get adequate drinking water through this initiative,” she said.
With the water distribution work getting completed in Avadi, Ambattur, and Ullagaram-Puzhuthivakkam in the expanded city, water supply could be done through pipelines, Jayalalithaa said.