Government not desilting main reservoirs, alleges DMK MLA

Chennai: The opposition DMK on Thursday blamed the state for not desilting the reservoirs in Chennai.

Participating in the debate related to the municipal administration, DMK MLA Pitchandi said that the state had not desilted Redhills, Chembarambakkam, Poondi and Cholavaram reservoirs that cater water to the residents of Chennai.

He further said lack of storage capacity and inadequate desilting has made the drought more severe on public. It is a fact that the drought was unprecedented in TN’s history of 140 years, but what has the state done to desilt the lakes all these years, the MLA wondered. He also charged that the public across the state were undergoing severe drinking water shortage as the local authorities have failed to meet the drinking water needs.

Responding to the MLA, local administration minister S P Velumani denied the charges by MLA. The CM Palaniswami recently inaugurated the desilting of Mettur dam and efforts were taken to remove the silt accumulated in water bodies across the state.

The state had also conducted six high level meetings to discuss about the drinking water crisis. Water is provided through tanks and numerous borewells have been dug to cater the growing demands of public, he informed.