Borewells in many areas dried up, only NE monsoon will help in recharging the groundwater table, say experts
Aug 24, 2026, 12.00 AM IST
Chennai: Poor rainfall and prolonged heat have left the city’s six water supply reservoirs with significantly less water than they held at the same time last year, raising concerns over water availability in the city.
The combined storage in Red Hills, Poondi, Sholavaram, Kannankottai Thervaikandigai, Chembarambakkam, and the Veeranam tank in Cuddalore stood at 5,473 million cubic feet (mcft) on Sunday, a steep drop of 2,730mcft from the 8,202mcft recorded on the same day last year. With the city water demand standing at 1TMC per month, the current storage can ensure supply for the next four months.
Hydrogeologist J Saravanan said heatwave conditions typically ease after ‘agni nakshatram’ in the last week of May, followed by a couple of rain spells in June and July. “This year, however, both months saw scant rainfall. The prolonged heat pushed up water consumption considerably, which in turn depleted groundwater tables in areas dependent on borewells,” he said.
He added that rainfall patterns have increasingly turned “isolated and high-intensity,” making it critical to maintain rainwater harvesting structures properly so that runoff is avoided.
The strain is already visible on the ground. I Annadurai, proprietor of Thangam Bore Wells, said that borewells in Tambaram, Pallavaram, Chromepet, and Guduvancheri, have run dry, forcing house owners to dig new ones.
M Rajasekar, a resident of Vandalur, said his old borewell dried up and another one was dug to a depth of 1,000ft. “There is no water even in that one,” he said.
To meet rising demand, Metrowater has increased its daily piped water supply from 1,171 million litres a day (MLD) last Aug to 1,246MLD this year, an increase of 75MLD. Authorities have also stepped up output at the 110MLD desalination plant in Nemmeli, raising production from 75MLD last year to 93MLD.
Despite the shortfall, Metrowater officials said they were confident the reservoirs would be replenished once the northeast monsoon sets in.
The combined storage in Red Hills, Poondi, Sholavaram, Kannankottai Thervaikandigai, Chembarambakkam, and the Veeranam tank in Cuddalore stood at 5,473 million cubic feet (mcft) on Sunday, a steep drop of 2,730mcft from the 8,202mcft recorded on the same day last year. With the city water demand standing at 1TMC per month, the current storage can ensure supply for the next four months.
Hydrogeologist J Saravanan said heatwave conditions typically ease after ‘agni nakshatram’ in the last week of May, followed by a couple of rain spells in June and July. “This year, however, both months saw scant rainfall. The prolonged heat pushed up water consumption considerably, which in turn depleted groundwater tables in areas dependent on borewells,” he said.
He added that rainfall patterns have increasingly turned “isolated and high-intensity,” making it critical to maintain rainwater harvesting structures properly so that runoff is avoided.
The strain is already visible on the ground. I Annadurai, proprietor of Thangam Bore Wells, said that borewells in Tambaram, Pallavaram, Chromepet, and Guduvancheri, have run dry, forcing house owners to dig new ones.
M Rajasekar, a resident of Vandalur, said his old borewell dried up and another one was dug to a depth of 1,000ft. “There is no water even in that one,” he said.
To meet rising demand, Metrowater has increased its daily piped water supply from 1,171 million litres a day (MLD) last Aug to 1,246MLD this year, an increase of 75MLD. Authorities have also stepped up output at the 110MLD desalination plant in Nemmeli, raising production from 75MLD last year to 93MLD.
Despite the shortfall, Metrowater officials said they were confident the reservoirs would be replenished once the northeast monsoon sets in.