Have to rely on groundwater for supply till October: TN CM

Chennai: Averring that his government is striving hard to ensure regular supply of water to the residents, inspite of the failure of monsoon, Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami said the government has to rely on groundwater for daily supplies till October when the North East monsoon sets in.

“There has been no let up in the supply of water to the residents, despite the water sources going dry. We need to supply water for the next three months, at least till October — November when the North East Monsoon sets in. Till then we have to depend heavily on ground water,” the CM said on Tuesday. Speaking to reporters here after inspecting the site on Marina where a grand memorial for former Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa is being constructed, Mr. Palaniswami said drought and deficient rainfall had led to dwindling of groundwater levels.

“But the issue is not as immense as being projected, particularly in the media,” he said and urged the media not to create an “illusion” of water scarcity based on a few reports. People should also understand the situation and cooperate, the chief minister, said and pointed out that Tamil Nadu did not receive the full quantum of Krishna river from Kandaleru in neighbouring Andhra Pradesh. Responding to a query on the water crisis, the Chief Minister said drinking water is being supplied through tankers. “People are using this water to even wash clothes,” he added.

As the lakes providing water to Chennai have gone dry, efforts are on to ensure supply of drinking water, by augmenting from Veeranam lake in Cuddalore district.

On the DMK members taking oath as MPs in the Lok Sabha in Tamil on Tuesday, Mr. Palaniswami said some of them like Dayanidhi Maran, have learnt Hindi but hailed Tamil. “We don't utter lies like them. The AIADMK members respect Tamil from our hearts. Tamil lives in our hearts,” he said taking a dig at the DMK which has been opposing the three-language policy.