CHENNAI | Feb 28, 2017: In their search for water, Metrowater officials are leaving no stone unturned. Literally. After sending water samples from abandoned quarries for potability tests, the civic body is now considering drilling more borewells in the lignite mines in Neyveli.

The move comes after water supply from Veeranam Lake in Cuddalore was cut last Monday. The tank, which has a capacity of 1.5 thousand million cubic feet, usually accounts for 20% of the total supply . However, with the inflow from Mettur dam dwindling, officials had to stop sourcing water as the level in the lake stood at less than 25ft against its maximum of 47.5ft.

To maintain the 550 million litres per day (mld) it distributes now, Metrowater is looking for support from borewells under Neyveli Lignite Corporation -situated around 35km from Veeranam tank and 200km from the city. The civic body already sources around 10mld from the mines on alternate days. "We will increase this to 20mld," said a senior Metrowater official, adding they were exploring the possibility of sinking more borewells in the mines. In addition, 20 of the 45 borewells owned by Metrowater outside the mines, which were in disuse, have been revived.

As the storage levels in the four reservoirs that cater to the city are at less than 15% of their total capacity , officials have increased their dependence on groundwater -usually reserved as a last resort during summer. The reservoirs usually provide close to 40% of the total supply by Metrowater. "We are relying solely on Krishna water trickling in from across the border to sustain the levels in these lakes," said the Metrowater official, adding the current storage would last till the end of March.

(Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/)