The Hindu 01.04.2013
Borewells to be revived to augment Chennai’s water supply
Focus on well fields in Poondi, Tamaraipakkam and floodplains near Kosasthalaiyar river
This summer, Chennai Metrowater’s well fields in
Tiruvallur district will be rejuvenated after a gap of nearly a decade
to tackle water shortage in the city.
The
fast-depleting resources in the reservoirs, the major suppliers of
drinking water to the city, have set the focus on well fields in Poondi,
Tamaraipakkam and floodplains near Kosasthalaiyar river. Besides
rejuvenating the 20 borewells in these well fields, the water agency
plans to sink 16 more borewells to augment water supply.
The
water agency recently called for tender to revive the well fields. At
present, the four reservoirs in Poondi, Cholavaram, Chembarambakkam and
Red Hills have a combined storage of 4,090 million cubic feet, which is
37 per cent of their total capacity. Supply from Veeranam tank and
Krishna water from Andhra Pradesh too has been minimal for want of
resources.
With surface water resources fast drying
up, the water agency is now tapping the groundwater potential in its
well fields in Tiruvallur district to sustain the drinking water supply
of 831 million litres a day (mld). Some areas, including Sridevikuppam
and Brindavan Nagar in Valasaravakkam and T. Nagar, are already
complaining of low water pressure and reduction in piped water supply.
The
water agency owns six well fields in Minjur, Tamaraipakkam, Panchetti,
Poondi and Kannigaiper and floodplains in various areas along the
Kosasthalaiyar river.
Of the over 60 borewells in
these well fields, water is being drawn from only 20 borewells.
Metrowater stopped extracting water from Panchetti and Kannigaiper and
most parts of Minjur a decade ago as the yield had reduced. The water
table has dipped in these areas as several farmers too use groundwater
for agriculture. A limited amount of one to two mld is being extracted
from the Minjur well field to provide water to industrial belt.
Similarly, a negligible amount is being drawn from the southern aquifer
along the East Coast Road.
Officials of Chennai
Metrowater said about 20 mld of water would be drawn from the new
borewells that would be sunk up to a depth of 100 feet.
“We
take up regular maintenance of the borewells. But this work worth Rs. 4
crore will involve flushing of aquifer and also improving
infrastructure for drawal,” said an official. The water extracted from
the wells would be transmitted to the treatment plant in Poondi and then
provided for drinking water supply. “We plan to complete the work
within two months to tackle water shortage this year,” said an official.
