Chapter VII Infrastructure, Water Supply

What the chapter covers

Chapter VII Infrastructure, Water Supply explains how water was sourced, managed and regulated across the Chennai Metropolitan Area. It records that growing demand had made it difficult for the administration to keep pace with water supply and sewerage needs.

The chapter is mainly a description of infrastructure and regulation. It does not announce a new fee, rate or land use classification.

Water supply responsibilities

The chapter identifies different responsibilities within the Chennai Metropolitan Area:

• Chennai water supply assets and liabilities were transferred from the Chennai Municipal Corporation to the Chennai Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board in August 1978.
• The State Public Works Department controls the major sources at Poondi reservoir, Cholavaram lake and Redhills lake.
• The Public Works Department Ground Water Cell investigates groundwater resources within the metropolitan area.
• Water systems installed in large developments by the Tamil Nadu Housing Board and the Tamil Nadu Slum Clearance Board were transferred to the Chennai Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board for maintenance.
• Outside Chennai City, the Tamil Nadu Water Supply and Drainage Board generally constructed schemes at the relevant local body's cost and transferred them to that local body for operation and maintenance.

Sources and supply constraints

The main surface water system includes Poondi, Cholavaram, Redhills, Chembarambakkam and Veeranam. Water from Redhills is filtered, conveyed to Kilpauk Water Works, treated and distributed across the city.

The chapter records that the lakes depend mainly on the North East monsoon. It also reports substantial evaporation losses and declining output from developed well fields. Private agricultural wells were hired from 2000 to supplement supply, with an average yield of 77 MLD in 2005.

Groundwater regulation and property relevance

The Madras Metropolitan Area Ground Water (Regulation) Act, 1987 regulates groundwater extraction, use and transport, and supports groundwater conservation.

Key controls described in the chapter include:

• Permits to sink wells in scheduled areas.
• Registration of existing wells and groundwater use.
• Licensing for groundwater extraction, use or transport.
• Enforcement by the Chennai Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board within Chennai City.
• Enforcement by the District Collector in the rest of the Chennai Metropolitan Area.

Owners or buyers concerned with an existing well, a proposed well or groundwater transport should check whether the property is in a scheduled area and whether the relevant permit, registration or licence applies.