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ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT, ENERGY CONSERVATION & GREEN BUILDING DISASTER PREPAREDNESS, MITIGATION AND REHABILITATION

INCREASING CITY RESILIENCE

- by Chennai Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board, Tamil Nadu

ater shortages and droughts have always been a part of Chennai's water history and the city water
supply is impacted by the poor North-East monsoon and the dwindling storage of its reservoirs. The city
Wdoes not have any perennial water source and the city's four main reservoirs are primarily rain-fed and
are affected by the vagaries of the monsoon. The other two important water sources viz. Telugu Ganga Project
(Krishna water from Andhra Pradesh) and Veeranam lake (Cauvery Water) are not only dependent on rainfall but
also affected by political issues. As part of the drought contingency measure, Chennai Metropolitan Water Supply
and Sewerage Board (CMWSSB) had to explore the possibility of augmenting the supply from both conventional and
non-conventional sources.

Source diversification is imperative to address the scarcity of the need. Establishing desalination plants, converting
abandoned quarries as water reservoirs, promoting wastewater reuse by establishing Tertiary Treatment Reverse
Osmosis (TTRO) Plants, conversion of abandoned wells and bore wells into rain water harvesting structures are
the few alternatives CMWSSB adopted to minimise the water demand-supply gap.

Grey water recycling

BACKGROUND: ESTABLISHMENT OF PRIORITIES:
Chennai is a metropolitan city and the capital of Tamil Ÿ Making Chennai a drought proof city during failure
Nadu. It has an area of 426 sq km and a population of 7.5 of monsoon
million. Chennai has a dense industrial cluster and
Ÿ Augmentation of additional water source
ensuring an uninterrupted water supply is vital for their
viability. While the water sources remained constant, the Ÿ Introduction of Reduce – Recycle – Reuse (RRR)
demand has been steadily rising. It is increasingly concept for sustainability
becoming difficult for the water managers to cater to the
Ÿ Uninterrupted supply of treated wastewater to the
growing water demand with the existing water sources
industries, thereby facilitating industrial growth and
alone. The demand-supply gap is 300 to 400 MLD and
employment
hunting for drinking water was a challenge to the citizens
of the city. Ÿ Reducing over-exploitation of groundwater and avoid
sea water intrusion into groundwater aquifers
KEY DATES:
Ÿ Reducing the stress arising due to vagaries of
Dates Significance Achievement
monsoons.
(day-month-
year)
CMWSSB is supplying potable water to Chennai city
25.07.2010 Commissioning of Desalination Plant at Minjur
from its water treatment plants having a total capacity of
22.02.2013 Commissioning of Desalination Plant at Nemmeli
1494 MLD which are located at Kilpauk, Redhills,
01.10.2019 Commissioning of TTRO Plant at Kodungaiyur
Chembarambakkam, Surapattu and Vadakuthu and the
29.11.2019 Commissioning of TTRO Plant at Koyembedu
Grey water reuse – Apartment complexes
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