Even as Chennai struggles to cope with a massive water crisis, DMK President MK Stalin will be leading a protest against the AIADMK government on Monday demanding a solution to the city's water problem.
In a statement from the party on Saturday, cadres and leaders were urged to participate in the protest in large numbers. On Saturday too, the DMK had held protests at district headquarters across the state to press the state government for necessary action to mitigate the people's suffering.
Meanwhile, DMK Treasurer and senior leader Duraimurugan threatened to launch a protest against the supply of water to Chennai from Jolarpettai in Vellore by train. Party sources told TNM, however, that this was the Katpadi MLA’s individual view.
Taking on the DMK, Minister for Municipal Administration SP Velumani said transport of water from Jolarpettai would not reduce supply in Vellore district.
On Friday, Chief Minister Edappadi Palaniswami had announced that 10 million litres a day (MLD) water would be transported from Jolarpettai in the Vellore district to Chennai by train at a cost of Rs 65 crore. Following the announcement, senior officials of Tamil Nadu Water Supply and Drainage Board (TWAD), CMWSSB and Southern Railway surveyed water bodies in Jolarpettai on Saturday. Surplus water supplied to Vellore through the Mettur drinking water project will be diverted to Chennai according to the plan. The 50-wagon train would have to make four trips to transport 10 MLD to Chennai since the capacity of the train is around 2.6 million litres. The water will be brought to Chennai, treated in Kilpauk and supplied to parts of northern and central Chennai till Triplicane.
While the Cholavaram (full capacity 1,081 mcft), Redhills (full capacity 3,300 mcft) and Chembarambakkam (3,645 mcft) lakes that supplied water to Chennai had gone dry, only 20 mcft water was left in the Poondi reservoir (full capacity of 3,231 mcft), according to the Chennai Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board.
(With IANS input)