Chennai: S P Velumani allays fears of water crisis

Chennai: Municipal Administration Minister S P Velumani on Friday said the government has taken adequate measures to ensure drinking water supply to the residents of Chennai till December, when the northeast monsoon is expected to bring rains.

After presiding over intensive deliberations with senior officials and experts at his office, the minister reiterated his resolve to ensure that the public does not suffer due to water scarcity. The minister's assurance comes amid complaints from several parts of Chennai relating to irregular and short supply of potable water, of long vigils by tired families for the government's water tanker and of the private suppliers hiking prices.

The minister had earlier claimed that the government took 'pre-emptive measures on a war-footing', as was done by Amma's administration in 2017 when Chennai was hit by the worst water crisis in 142 years. She had then tackled the crisis by harnessing from borewells, dozens of quarries, the Veeranam and Poondi reservoirs, besides the desalination plants. This time too, the AIADMK government has set in motion elaborate plans to tap water from multiple sources to quench the public thirst, Velumani said.

However, Opposition leader M K Stalin has slammed CM Palaniswami and minister Velumani holding them responsible for the water crisis.

Despite knowing well that there was a 69 per cent rain deficit in Tamil Nadu, the AIADMK government has failed to take timely measures and this has led to a "drought-like situation", the DMK chief has said.

Pointing out that all the main reservoirs catering to Chennai's needs had gone dry, Stalin has said that the government's promise to set up desalination plants in Chennai, Ramanathapuram and Thoothukudi districts "have gone into cold storage".