Deccan Chronicle 17.09.2009

TN ill-equipped to store water

Chennai, Sept. 16: The decision to release Krishna water from Kandaleru has delighted city dwellers but little do they know that the state is not equipped to store the full quantum of water received from Andhra Pradesh.

Tamil Nadu is entitled to get 12 tmc ft (thousand million cubic feet) per annum as per the water sharing agreement reached between the two states in 1983. However, it has never got the stipulated full volume of water. In the last few years, Tamil Nadu had been receiving only a little over six tmcft.

A senior official of the water resources department said that the state was also responsible for the deficit as its public works department officials advise their counterparts in Andhra Pradesh to stop discharge once the four arterial reservoirs, Chembarambakkam, Poondi, Puzhal and Cholavaram, are filled to the brim. The four reservoirs can jointly store about 11.057 tmcft.

“Owing to the lack of adequate storage facilities, the state does not get the full quantum of water even when Andhra Pradesh is prepared to release more than usual,” observed a senior official of Chennai Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board.

Experts have been advising the government to renovate and utilise a few other city lakes to store Krishna water to solve this problem.

The former PWD minister, Mr Duraimurugan, had also made an announcement in this connection when MLAs raked up the issue in the last Assembly session. However, the idea has not been pursued.

Water resource department officials had also suggested the diversion of Krishna water into Palar to recharge the aquifers and help improve the ground water level in suburban Chennai and Kancheepuram. But this suggestion too has not been heeded.

Deccan Chronicle 12.09.2009

PWD to desilt city canals soon

Chennai, Sept. 11: Chief minister M. Karunanidhi on Friday directed the public works department (PWD) to carry out desilting works in the arterial canals located in the Chennai metropolitan area and adjoining Tiruvallur and Kancheepuram districts. This is to ensure that Chennai and its suburbs were free from floods during the ensuing monsoon.

A press release from the state secretariat said that the chief minister has directed the public works departm-ent to carry out 91 desilting works in the major water canals at a cost of Rs 4 crore. The release further said that north Buckingham canal would be desilted at a cost of Rs 72 lakh. Subsequently, desilting in central and south Buckingham can-al would be taken up at a co-st of Rs 43 and 61 lakh, respectively. Similarly, Co-oum and Otteri nullah wo-uld be desilted at a total cost of Rs 19 lakh.

As much as Rs 24 lakh would be spent to streamline and strengthen the Virugambakkam canal and its stormwater drain system, it added.

The release also said that desilting works would be taken up after floating tenders and the PWD chief engineer would form monitoring teams to ensure that the works were carried out in a proper manner.