Express News Service Dr S Janakarajan, former professor, MIDS, Chennai In the particular context of Chennai’s drought, the current situation is because of lack of long-term planning and commitment which is expected of the state government. State government spent about Rs 38,000 crore on drinking water projects and thousands of crores on restoration of small waterbodies in the last 7 to 8 years. Yet, the state, in particular, Chennai, is reeling under severe drought conditions. One of the several questions which remain unanswered is: Is Chennai lacking in rainfall? The average rainfall of Chennai and its peri-urban areas is about 1,400 mm and even in 2018, this area recorded about 800 mm. What happened to this rainfall? It’s a shame that Chennai resorts to solutions such as long-distance water transfers and seawater desalination plants to meet its water demand with its huge rainfall remaining untapped. Sakthivel, founder of the start-up Rainman The rainwater drainage system on roads must be cleaned regularly to prevent clogging and roadside flooding. Most importantly, most stormwater drains are still under construction or unrepaired in residential areas. The work usually begins only before the monsoon. This is why we are not prepared for sudden rain showers. Secondly, people should also be educated about different types of rainwater harvesting techniques. We all stick to one model and that’s a problem. Waste water from apartments also leaks and gets mixed with roadside water which further results in flooding. The waste water from buildings can be recycled and reused. This is something we can do from our end as responsible citizens. Theri Kumar, environmentalist Water stagnation and floods occur whenever it rains because people are constructing houses and shops on top of canals and drains which block the sewage exits. Most properties built around these areas are owned by politicians and as per the regulations, electricity or water are not to be given to the residents of these areas. However, the encroachers bribe the local authorities and get away with it — a move that results in flooding of the nearby areas. Every house should take up rainwater harvesting. The government should provide subsidies and it should be made mandatory that people get approval from the officials to construct rainwater harvesting. It must be supervised once a year by the officials. Dayanand Krishnan, water conservationist The civic body can construct roadside recharge wells to save water and prevent flooding. It can build ponds in parks with deep recharge wells to harvest rainwater. The city Corporation must compel all households to install rainwater harvesting systems. A three-member family consumes an average of 1,10,000 litres of water in a year and a 1,000 square feet terrace can save as much water. This way everyone can be self-sufficient. V Subramani, founder, Sabari Green Chennai water crisis is man-made. There are more than 30,000 water bodies in Tamil Nadu. The smaller ponds belong to the panchayats and Corporations, bigger lakes are under the Public Works Department and lakes near temples are under HR & CE. We have to propagate and bring all the waterbodies under one authority to streamline activities and solutions. The biggest lake in south Chennai is Perumbakkam lake, which is lying polluted. The Korratur lake is 1,200 acres and there are numerous vast waterbodies in Chennai. If we dig two more meters deep and all the lakes are rejuvenated, then we can store water for three years without the lake drying up. We are facing water stagnation and floods because both the public and the government are not taking the right steps. People continue to dump garbage in lakes and canals despite knowing that it is polluting the lake. If this goes on, Chennai has a bleak future. J Saravanan, hydrogeologist We need a paradigm shift in the stormwater management system. The present trend to collect and dispose of should be converted into collate and recharge through surface water bodies/aquifer recharge through recharge wells. The immediate steps should be to classify areas with and without pollution in stormwater drains. In the non-polluted areas, the drains should be diverted to existing surface water bodies and or provided with recharge wells to harvest the surface run-off. In the polluted areas, the first step should be to arrest pollution and then to design recharge systems by integrating with surface waterbodies. K Karthik, water conservationist Protection of water bodies is one of the most important steps the government must take to save rainwater. These days, rainwater gets mixed up with pollutants in the lake. The canals connecting the waterbodies must be cleaned, and the Corporation must ensure that encroachers living around the lake do not connect their sewage pipelines to the lake. Also, fences must be built around the waterbodies as dumping garbage in the lake has become more of a practice. C Ramakrishnan, vice president of Federation of Resident Associations of Adyar (FEDARA) The city Corporation must immediately work on desilting the catchment areas. The civic body is focusing on installing rainwater harvesting systems only in apartments, but the same is not being seen in public spaces. So, recharge wells must be built before the monsoon sets in. If private tankers could get water, what is stopping the Corporation in tapping these resources? They must ensure that a minimum quota of Corporation water is made available to all the residents at all times.

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