Water supply to Chennai expected to improve as Veeranam tank begins getting inflow

Veeranam tank, a key water source for Chennai, has seen an inflow of 810 cusecs, increasing daily supply to 155 mld. With NE monsoon around the corner, storage is expected to rise to 1,000 mcft, providing 170 mld to the city. Weather disturbances are being monitored for the arrival of NE monsoon.

Water supply to the city is set to improve as Veeranam tank, one of the drinking water sources for the city, has started receiving inflow through Vadavar Channel. The water agencies are confident that storage will steadily increase with the northeast monsoon just around the corner.

Veeranam tank in Cuddalore district has only about 10% of its storage capacity now after a drop in inflow. It is one of the water sources that sustains daily water supply in Chennai. However, water was released into Vadavar Channel from Lower Anicut on Monday to cater to irrigation needs in Cuddalore district and drinking water requirement of the city. Water travelled about 22 km to reach the tank.

Sources in Metrowater said the waterbody received an inflow of about 810 cubic feet per second (cusecs) on Wednesday. This has led to an increase of water supply to 155 million litres a day (mld) compared to 149 mld on Monday. Water is also being discharged for irrigation.

While the bulk of the water being sent to Chennai is from Veeranam tank, it is also drawn from other sources, including the Neyveli aquifer and the Paravanar, treated and sent to the city through a 200-km pipeline. With northeast monsoon likely to set in in a few days, the water agency expects storage in Veeranam tank to be stepped up with runoff from catchment areas such as Jayankondam in Ariyalur district.

Officials noted that the water discharge from Mettur dam usually continued till December 31. But the dam was closed earlier this year, and this led to the storage in Veeranam tank to dip to 132 million cubic feet (mcft). The inflow from catchment areas has boosted the storage up to 1,000 mcft during the monsoon. Supply will soon be stepped up to the usual 170 mld to Chennai, officials said. The city is being provided 946 mld of drinking water daily, including industries.

Meanwhile, the Meteorological Department has predicted a low pressure area to form over central parts of the Bay of Bengal around October 20. Another weather system brewing in the Arabian sea is likely to develop into a depression around October 21. The weather disturbances are being monitored for the arrival of northeast monsoon.