Work begins to tap resources from Thervoy Kandigai- Kannankottai reservoir for Chennai water supply

In an effort to tap into resources from the Chennai’s fifth drinking water reservoir at Thervoy Kandigai- Kannankottai and boost water supply, Chennai Metrowater has started developing infrastructure, including laying a pipeline from the water body to Red Hills, where the water will be treated and distributed to the city.

Inaugurated in 2020, the reservoir in Tiruvallur district primarily stored water for the city’s needs. With a capacity to store about 500 million cubic feet (mcft), the reservoir now has a storage of nearly 271 mcft.

The water agency has recently started work to convey water from the reservoir to Red Hills water treatment plant to use the resources to cater to the growing needs of the city . Nearly 15% of the ₹30.59-crore project has been completed so far. The work has gained prominence, especially as more residents in the merged areas are being covered under the piped water network.

At present, Chennai is being provided with 1,099.96 million litres of water a day (mld). Of this, nearly 1,048 mld is being given to residents in the city and merged areas through pipelines and tankers. The city gets its major portion of water supply from reservoirs in Chembarambakkam, Red Hills and Poondi.

Officials of the Metrowater said work is in progress to construct an additional pump house, which would have a capacity to pump 66 mld at the premises of Thervoykandigai reservoir. Improvements are being made to existing pump houses in Kannigaiper and Red Hills to enable a smooth flow of water.

Of the 43.35 km distance to be covered from the reservoir to Red Hills, work is in progress to lay a new pipeline covering nearly 3.8 km and improving the existing line. The water pumped and treated at the 300 mld Red Hills treatment plant would be linked to the common distribution network that covers various areas of north, south and central parts of Chennai, officials said.

The project is expected to be finished by January 2026. The water body was created as a balancing reservoir, designed to store excess water and supply during high demand. Located 14 km away from Uthukottai, the inter-state limit of Kandaleru Poondi canal, the Thervoykandigai reservoir gets filled by floodwater runoff and surplus Krishna water from Andhra Pradesh. At present, Krishna water is conveyed to fill the other major reservoir in Poondi and the surplus water would be transferred to the fifth reservoir.