Water woes: Parched Chennai cries for relief
The Tamil Nadu capital is facing a drought for the third year in a row.
In Short
- The Tamil Nadu capital is facing a drought for the third year in a row
- Chennai’s four reservoirs together had only 31 mcft of water as against a capacity of 11,257 mcft
- From letting staff work from home to implementing conservation methods, IT firms are trying to conserve water
Tamil Nadu and its capital Chennai are struggling to meet the water demands of its citizens. Chennai is facing a drought for the third year in a row.
As of Thursday, Chennai's four reservoirs together had only 31 million cubic feet (mcft) of water as against a total capacity of 11,257 mcft.
With the city fighting to meet its water demand Chennai Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (CMWSSB) is almost completely dependent on alternative sources including water from desalination plants and stone quarries in Kanchipuram district.
As Chennai reels under a water crisis, the city's IT hub is taking steps to conserve water. From letting employees work from home to implementing water-conservation methods, IT companies are going that extra mile to save water.
"For close to two weeks we were working on a rotational system, we had the option of working from home. Only critical teams had to work out of the office," Vishnupriya, an IT employee said.
She recalls with horror what the water crisis had forced the office to do. "Only alternate floors had working bathrooms. It was a bit stressful but what can you do?"
Similarly, Janani another IT employee spoke about the methods her office had taken. "Even the water tankers were striking. So we had systems installed that would regulate the flow of water and reduce wastage."
Old Mahabalipuram Road (OMR) is the IT hub of Chennai. According to reports over 60 per cent of the daily 3 crore litre water distributed in OMR is used by IT companies.
After nearly 100 days of water shortage in Chennai IT companies have allowed nearly 5,000 employees to work from home.
"At my place we have to spend hours standing in queue to collect water. Getting water from the tankers is very difficult. After this where do we have the time to go to office? Children are also suffering a lot," said Bupender, a businessman.
With the water crisis worsening, the Madras High Court has stepped in. On Thursday the court asked for details from the state government on the steps taken by it to fulfil the daily water requirements of the city. It asked the AIADMK government to submit details of steps taken to mitigate the scarcity on June 17.
Even as the state reels under the crisis, opposition parties are trying to gain brownie points by distributing water. But for how long, wonder citizens as the shortage is nowhere near the end.