Chennai, July 6:
Residents of Chennai are unlikely to face any drinking water shortage over the next six months, according to officials from the Chennai Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board. The city’s reservoirs currently hold over 6 TMC of water, which is considered sufficient to meet demand during this period.
Chennai depends on multiple water sources, including the Poondi, Cholavaram, Red Hills, Kannankottai Thervoy Kandigai, Chembarambakkam, and Veeranam reservoirs. Together, these have a total storage capacity of 13,222 million cubic feet (mcft). As of early July, the storage level stood at 6,139 mcft, which is about 46% of the total capacity, though lower than last year’s levels.
The city currently receives around 1,244 million litres of drinking water per day. This includes supply from reservoirs as well as about 155 million litres generated through desalination plants, ensuring steady availability despite below-normal rainfall in some catchment areas.
Officials noted that Chennai requires roughly 1 TMC of water each month. With more than 6 TMC available and additional support expected from Krishna river water releases and the upcoming Northeast Monsoon, the water situation remains stable for the near future.