A 60% deficit in the northeast monsoon has meant that Chennai will be hit by a severe water crisis, as the available water will sustain only for about a month.

With no rains forecast for the rest of the week, the reservoirs in the city are running dry, as per a report in the Times of India.

The combined storage level in the Poondi, Chembrambakkam, Red Hills and Cholavaram reservoirs was just 14% of the total capacity of 11,057 million cubic feet, the report states.

The reservoirs together are responsible for 50% of the daily water supply to the city.

“We are still sustaining supply with the two thousand million cubic feet (tmcft) available in the reservoirs. This will be enough for a month,“ said a Metrowater official.

Met officials said that a system which was likely to form near Andamans would possibly pass over Tamil Nadu and move towards Myanmar, thereby bringing no rain to the city, the report adds.  

“Chennai will see dry weather and the temperature would be a minimum and maximum of 24 and 31 degrees Celsius,“ said S Balachandran, director, Area Cyclone Warning Centre, Regional Meteorological Centre, Chennai.

Taking note of the drought-like situation in the state, municipal administration minister S P Velumani met with local body officials on Tuesday to chalk out a strategy.

While Metrowater officials said they are maintaining the daily water supply, residents in many areas have already started feeling the pinch with water supply being erratic.