CM Stalin addresses looming water scarcity

Chennai: Chief Minister M K Stalin urged State government officials from across the departments to function in a coordinated manner to ensure uninterrupted supply of water to people in all parts of the State and also to personally visit parched areas to find quick remedies even while cautioning all about the vagaries of summer months that reduced supply but increased demand for water.

Addressing a consultative meeting at the Secretariat on Saturday convened to look into the looming water scarcity faced by the State, Stalin said that even if the Model Code of Conduct was still in force despite the completion of polls in the State, there should be no lapse in supplying water to people continuously through regular monitoring of the situation.

Since the storage in the State’s dams were dwindling, efforts should be made to manage the water needs of the people with the scant available resources for the next two months, he said and added that the chances of the South West monsoon bringing good rains to the State was also very bleak, as per the forecast of the Indian Meteorological Department.

Though the North East monsoon brought copious rains to the coastal districts and even caused major floods, the other shadow regions of the State, particularly the western districts, did not receive enough rains, leading to the drought like situation, which was explained in detail by the Chief Secretary, Shiv Das Meena, and other officers, he said.

Already 22 districts had been declared as drought hit and Rs 150 crore from the State Disaster Relief Fund had been released to provide succor to the people depending on their specific needs with the authorities continuously monitoring the maintenance and functioning of the joint drinking water supply schemes.

Besides instructing the officials of the water supply and sewage departments to be alert in ameliorating the water needs of the people, Stalin asked the electricity department to provide uninterrupted supply of power to the joint drinking water schemes and pumping stations.

In panchayat areas where the deep bore wells had gone dry, alternative water resources should be identified or water should be supplied to the villages in tankers with the local body representatives and officials taken active interest in ensuring water supply

He also told the Chief Secretaries to keep a watch over all the districts and give proper guidance in alleviating the water problems of the people.