The 2019 Chennai water crisis, declared as 'day zero' on June 19, highlights severe water shortages due to a two-year deficient monsoon, leading to reliance on alternative water sources. A broader crisis is affecting 21 Indian cities, exacerbated by groundwater depletion and pollution, with projections indicating a substantial portion of the population will lack access to drinking water by 2030. Immediate urgent management of water resources and implementation of sustainable practices are crucial to prevent further economic and health repercussions.

1. CHENNAI WATER
CRISIS
Presented By
A.BHARAT KUMAR

2.  The 2019 Chennai water crisis is an ongoing water crisis occurring in India, most notably in the
city of Chennai in Tamil Nadu.
 On 19 June 2019, Chennai city officials declared that “Day Zero”
 the day when almost no water is left, had been reached, as all the four main reservoirs supplying
water to the city had run dry.
 Two years of deficient monsoon rainfall, particularly in late 2017 and throughout much of 2018
had led to this crisis reservoirs supplying water to the city had run dry.
 Because tap water has stopped running, some families have been relying on alternative water
sources such as distant, unreliable public water pumps, and costly private water tankers.

3.  Chennai has historically relied on annual monsoon rains to replenish its water reservoirs since the
rivers are polluted with sewage.
 There are four reservoirs in the city, namely, Red Hills, Cholavaram, Poondi and Chembarambakkam,
with a combined capacity of 11,057 mcft.
 The 2018 northeast monsoon season was one of the driest ever recorded in Chennai, as only 343.7
mm of rain had fallen compared to an average of 757.6 mm, which was a 55% rainfall deficit.
Additionally, the entire state of Tamil Nadu had recorded a 23% rainfall deficit in that season.

4. 2018 2019

6. FLOODS
 The 2015 South Indian floods resulted from heavy rainfall generated by the annual northeast
monsoon in November–December 2015.
 They affected the Coromandel Coast region of the South Indian states of Tamil Nadu and Andhra
Pradesh.
 More than 500 people were killed and over 1.8 million (18 lakh) people were displaced.
 With estimates of damages and losses ranging from nearly ₹200 billion (US$3 billion) to over ₹1
trillion(US$14 billion), the floods were the costliest to have occurred in 2015, and were among the
costliest natural disasters of the year

7.  : India is facing the worst water crisis in its history, and 21 Indian cities will run out of groundwater
by 2020, a new report from the NITI Aayog – a government think tank – said, highlighting the need
for “urgent and improved” management of water resources.
 With nearly 600 million Indians facing high-to-extreme water stress – where more than 40 percent of
the annually available surface water is used every year – and about 200,000 people dying every year
due to inadequate access to safe water, the situation is likely to worsen as the demand for water will
exceed the supply by 2050, said the ‘Composite Water Management Index’ (CWMI) report ,
released on 14 June

8.  While Indian cities are grappling for water supply, the Aayog has called for “immediate action”
as growing scarcity will also hit India’s food security.
 States need to start managing their groundwater and their agriculture water, said the
(CWMI) report – India’s first comprehensive collection of nationwide water data.
 CWMI is a step in the right direction, but NITI Aayog could have taken it a step ahead by
comparing state water management practices against leading countries, according to
experts. Attention could have been paid to the states’ performance in implementing existing laws
against groundwater exploitation.

9.  As we said, 21 Indian cities – including Delhi, Bengaluru, Chennai and Hyderabad – will run out
of groundwater by 2020, affecting 100 million people; 40 percent of India’s population will have
no access to drinking water by 2030, the report said.
 Currently, many Indian states, including Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Tamil Nadu, face water
shortages, exacerbated by changing rainfall patterns, IndiaSpend reported on 6 June.
 The Economic Survey 2017-18 acknowledged India’s water crisis and explained the triggers,
including rapid groundwater depletion, the decline in average rainfall and increasing dry monsoon
days, The Times Of India reported on 21 June.

10.  Groundwater in India depleted at 10-25 mm per year between 2002 and 2016. Average rainfall
declined, from 1,050 mm in the kharif — summer cropping – season of 1970 to less than 1,000
mm in kharif 2015. Similarly, in the winter cropping, or rabi season, average rainfall declined,
from approximately 150 mm in 1970 to about 100 mm in 2015. Dry days — days without rainfall
— during the monsoons have increased, from approximately 40 percent to 45 percent in 2015.
 If mitigation measures are not implemented, India faces a six percent loss in its gross domestic
product (GDP) by 2050, the NITI Aayog report said. With nearly 70 percent of water
contaminated, India ranks 120th of 122 countries in a global water quality index, the report noted.

11.  India holds about four percent of global freshwater and 16 percent of its population. Water-
intensive agricultural practices and growing water demand for industrial, energy production and
domestic purposes are significantly stressing India’s limited water resource, said Samrat Basak, an
expert on water-related issues from World Resource Institute (WRI), an advocacy.
 Conceived as an annual exercise by the NITI Aayog, the index evaluates states on nine broad
sectors and 28 indicators, including groundwater, irrigation, farm practices and drinking water.
 Since water is a state subject, the decision-making related to the resource lies with states. “This
index is an attempt to budge states and UTs towards efficient and optimal utilisation of water and
recycling thereof with a sense of urgency,” Amitabh Kant, chief executive officer of NITI
Aayog, wrote in the report’s foreword.

12.  The Central Ground Water Board (CGWB) – a central authority to monitor and manage water
groundwater resources of the country – has a network of 22,339 groundwater observation
wells in India, which means one monitoring point in approximately 147 square kilometre — an
approximate area of Mysore, a city in Karnataka.
Reasons behind water scarcity in India
 The water scarcity is mostly man made due to excess population growth and mismanagement of
water resources. Some of the major reasons for water scarcity are:
 Inefficient use of water for agriculture. India is among the top growers of agricultural produce in
the world and therefore the consumption of water for irrigation is amongst the highest.

13.  Traditional techniques of irrigation causes maximum water loss due to evaporation, drainage,
percolation, water conveyance, and excess use of groundwater. As more areas come under
traditional irrigation techniques, the stress for water available for other purposes will continue. The
solution lies in extensive use of micro-irrigation techniques such as drip and sprinkler irrigation.
 Reduction in traditional water recharging areas. Rapid construction is ignoring traditional water
bodies that have also acted as ground water recharging mechanism. We need to urgently revive
traditional aquifers while implementing new ones.

14.  Sewage and wastewater drainage into traditional water bodies. Government intervention at the
source is urgently required if this problem is to be tackled.
 Release of chemicals and effluents into rivers, streams and ponds. Strict monitoring and
implementation of laws by the government, NGOs and social activists is required.
 Lack of on-time de-silting operations in large water bodies that can enhance water storage capacity
during monsoon. It is surprising that the governments at state levels has not taken this up on
priority as an annual practice. This act alone can significantly add to the water storage levels.
 Lack of efficient water management and distribution of water between urban consumers, the
agriculture sector and industry. The government needs to enhance its investment in technology and
include all stakeholders at the planning level to ensure optimization of existing resources.

15.  Urban nightmare
 The problem has been compounded with increased concretization due to urban development that
has choked ground water resources. Water is neither being recharged nor stored in ways that
optimizes its use while retaining the natural ingredients of water. In addition, the entry of sewage
and industrial waste into water bodies is severely shrinking the availability of potable water.
Marine life is mostly lost in these areas already. This is the genesis of a very serious emerging
crisis. If we do not understand the source of the problem we will never be able to find sustainable
solutions.

16.  As an example, take Hyderabad. This city of Nizams had several water aquifers and water bodies
through time. Osmansagar and Himayatsagar lakes were built and have been providing drinking
water to the city for well over a hundred years. Excess migration of population to the city coupled
with unplanned construction in all directions, resulted in traditional aquifers, which existed in and
around the city, being blocked.
 There are over 50,000 bore wells operated by the state owned HMWS&SB and private owners
that have been drawing ground water. The levels have now fallen significantly. If the ground water
cannot recharge, the supply will get only get worse. The demand for water continues to grow
while the collection, storage, regeneration and distribution has become over stressed. The story
repeats itself across urban centers

17.  What should be done to solve the water problem in Urbans
 Taking measures to make the operations of the sewage treatment plants functional.
 Encouraging the use of small decentralized sewage treatment plants to recycle the water.
 Encouraging more and more rainwater harvesting. The Government should make rain water
harvesting mandatory for all the residential apartments, individual houses, corporate houses and
industrial units.
 Getting water is not the problem but managing water is the biggest problem. So accurate and strict
measures should be taken for proper management of water resources.

18.  More dams should be constructed, especially in those areas where the rain water gets drained out
without being used.
 There should not be demand side management. Instead, more focus should be given on the supply
side management.
 Recharging the ground water.
 Proper legal enforcement of water should be emphasised.
 More and more tree plantation to replenish the ground water level.

19. THANK YOU