Northeast monsoon has just arrived over the State. But, many tanks in Kancheepuram are fast filling up and have already touched more than 50% of their storage.
According to data from the Water Resources Department (WRD), of the 381 tanks in the district, 62 have filled up, and the storage in 109 has reached between 76% and 99% already. Moreover, nearly 67 tanks have more than half of their storage.
“Nearly 14.5 thousand million cubic feet of water has been stored so far in the tanks, which are more than half full or full in the city’s three neighbouring districts and in Tiruvannamalai district,” an official said.
Officials of the WRD said rain during the southwest monsoon that brought good flow into the Palar, including near Kaveripakkam, was the major reason for the tanks in Kancheepuram quickly filling up.
Many of the check dams, such as those in Palayaseevaram and Esur Vallipuram, had also filled up and nearly 1,000 mcft feet of water had drained into sea.
“We cannot entirely call it a waste of resources as it contributes to the river ecology, and such flows are needed in rivers. There is more scope for constructing regulators and storage structures in various portions of the river. More water could be saved and diverted for Chennai’s growing water needs,” an official said.
Tanks in Sriperumbudur and Pillaipakkam, located upstream of the Chembarambakkam reservoir, also have nearly 75% of storage now.
Similarly, 34 out of 578 tanks in Tiruvallur district have been filled so far.
These are mainly located upstream of the Poondi reservoir and Tiruttani. Most of these tanks got inflow as the Ammapalli dam, upstream in Andhra Pradesh, was opened during various occasions earlier this month, the official said. Some tanks that are full include Pallipet, Perumanallur, Agoor and Tiruttani big tank, the official said.
While seven of the 28 tanks in Chennai limits have 75% of their total capacity, several tanks in Chengalpattu are waiting for northeast monsoon rain to boost their storage.
So far, only 21 of the 564 waterbodies in Chengalpattu district are 100% full, officials said.
