Water management in Chennai

rdf:langString Water management in Chennai

rdf:langString The coastal city of Chennai has a metropolitan population of 10.6 million as per 2019 census. As the city lacks a perennial water source, catering the water requirements of the population has remained an arduous task. On 18 June 2019, the city's reservoirs ran dry, leaving the city in severe crisis. Although three rivers flow through the metropolitan region and drain into the Bay of Bengal, Chennai has historically relied on annual monsoon rains to replenish its water reservoirs since the rivers are polluted with sewage. With the population increasing over the decades, the city has faced water supply shortages, and its ground water levels have been depleted. An earlier Veeranam Lake project aimed at augmenting the city's water supply failed. However, the New Veeranam project, which became operational in September 2004, has greatly reduced dependency on distant sources. In recent years, heavy and consistent monsoon rains and rainwater harvesting (RWH) by Chennai Metro Water at its Anna Nagar Rain Centre have significantly reduced water shortages. Moreover, newer projects like the Telugu Ganga project, which brings water from rivers such as the Krishna River in Andhra Pradesh, have eased water shortages. The city has constructed a couple of sea water desalination plants to further increase the water supply, with the two functioning since 2010 and 2013, respectively. A third one has been planned. However, Chennai is expected to face a huge deficit of 713 million litres per day (MLD) as the demand is projected at 2,248 MLD and supply estimated at only 1,535 MLD in 2026. As of 2017, the total volume of water harvested was 339 mcft and groundwater recharge was 170 mcft. The expanded Chennai Metropolitan Area (CMA) has nearly 4,100 water bodies, with a potential storage capacity of 150,000 million cubic feet.