Southern States - Tamil Nadu-Chennai   

Veeranam project likely to be completed by May next

By Our Special Correspondent

CHENNAI AUG. 20. The Veeranam project, aimed at providing 180 million litres a day (MLD) to Chennai, is likely to be completed by May next year, according to Chennai Metrowater, the agency responsible for implementation of the scheme.

Describing the Veeranam lake as one of the important water sources for the city, the agency's Engineering Director, R.N. Suryanarayana Singh, told a conference on water conservation and management here that this project, along with other schemes including the Krishna water supply project and proposed desalination plants of 300 MLD, would help in meeting the norm of 135 litres per capita per day.

Stating that absence of perennial source was the cause for the city's water scarcity, he said in times of drought, groundwater contributed substantially in sustaining the supply and now, it accounted for 100 million litres of the total supply of 200 million litres provided on alternate days.

A. Ramakrishna, president and deputy managing director of Larsen & Toubro, which has been carrying out repair works in the Andhra Pradesh stretch of the Kandaleru-Poondi Canal with the financial assistance of Sathya Sai Central Trust, said the work would be completed in two weeks. The Kandaleru dam had been strengthened. After the improvement of the canal, more water would reach the city.

Inaugurating the conference organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry (southern region), the Local Administration Minister, M.C. Sampath, said 52 blocks had been classified as over-exploited and 37 blocks - dark. So, rainwater harvesting was the only way by which groundwater resources got replenished.

Shobhnath, Regional Director of the Central Ground Water Board, said different segments - governmental agencies, NGOs and the public - had a role to perform in protecting the groundwater resources.

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