250mcft water flowing into reservoirs supplying water to Chennai

Chennai:

As the rains continue to pound the city for the last three days, water
managers have heaved a sigh of relief and expect more rains to ease
the pressure during the dry days.

As the inflow of water in the reservoirs supplying water to the city
have gone up by 250 million cubic feet in the last three days, a
senior metro water official said that the inflows is not that
significant.

“The inflow of more than 250 million cubic feet of water into city’s
reservoirs is something good. But then if the inflow had been more
than one thousand million cubic feet, we don’t have to worry during
the dry days,” he said.

Interestingly, a top water resources department official said that the
inflow has gone up significantly now. “IT is too early to say how. We
have to wait for the next 24 hours.

The official said that currently, Red Hills has received an inflow of
800 cusecs of water followed by Chembarambakkam (619 cusecs), Poondi
(483 cusecs) and Veeranam (1700 cusecs). Interestingly, the water
levels in the reservoirs, including Veeranam has gone up by nearly
3TMC feet.

The Water Resource Department official said that Poondi currently has
208 million cubic feet of water while Red Hills has 891 mcft and
Chembarambakkam 1,001 mcft.

Meanwhile, Public Works Department is on a major drive to ensure that
city doesn’t get inundated. Even as the rains continue to pound,
PWD’s JCBs were working to clean up Cooum, Adyar and Veerangal Odau in
Velachery.

A sum of Rs 3.62 crore has been sanctioned to take up works in 43
places on October 13. “Currently, works are taking pl;ace in 35
places,” a PWD official said.

These include from New Napier Bridge to Koyambedu on Cooum river,
Theopsophical Society to Manapakkam in Adyar river, opening of mouth
Adyar River and Muttukadu lake besides cleaning up of Veerangal Odai
and various other works.

Besides the pre-monsoon measures, work is also being undertaken under
JNNURM scheme. These include cleaning up of Otteri nullah drain
between padi to Basin Bridge, Virugambakkam, Arumbakkam drain, Central
Jail to Ennore Creek.

The PWD official said that the cleaning-up work was undertaken just
before monsoon as to ensure the area is cleared of garbage and solid
waste. “If we had taken up the works much earlier, people would have
by then choked the drains by dumping debris and solid waste,” the
official said.

Meanwhile, Chennai Metro Water has said that its sewage pumping
station is working day and night to pump out sewage water.
 Arrangements are also being made to run sewage pumping stations
continuously even during power cut using generators.  Adequate stock
of fuel and other spares has been made available, a Metro Water official said