Chennai Water Management During Monsoon

• Water Management in Chennai:

  • Location: Red Hills reservoir, a key drinking water source for Chennai.
  • Shutter Operations: The shutters were opened for the fourth time this monsoon on November 15 to manage water flow and maintain adequate flood buffer due to forecasted heavy rainfall.
  • Water Release: Initially released 300 cubic feet per second (cusecs) of water, later increased to 600 cusecs.
  • Current Capacity: Reservoir storage at 2,900 million cubic feet (mcft), or 88% of total capacity.
  • Target Levels: Aim to maintain water level at 19 feet while reducing storage by 6%-7% to prepare for anticipated heavy inflow.

• Flood Management Strategy:

  • Monitoring of inflow and outflow is essential; shutters are closed when inflow is low.
  • 600 mcft of floodwater has been released through the surplus course to Ennore creek since discharge operations began on October 15.

• Weather Forecast:

  • Heavy rainfall expected from November 16 due to a cyclonic circulation over south Sri Lanka and the southwest Bay of Bengal.
  • Initial impacts on delta districts, with higher northern districts (Chennai, Tiruvallur, Cuddalore) predicted to receive intense rainfall on November 18.
  • Potential development of a low-pressure area over the southeast Bay of Bengal around November 21.

• Related Meteorological Data:

  • The Regional Meteorological Centre (RMC) is tracking the conditions and issuing forecasts for the affected regions.

These details emphasize the critical water management practices in response to weather conditions impacting Chennai and underline the importance of forecasting in disaster preparedness.