Rains in TamilNadu, but water shortages to persist

There has been some good news for the people Tamil Nadu people who have been suffering from water shortages . Heavy rainfall was reported in some districts such as Vellore, Thiruvannamalai, Kanchipuram and Villupuram.

The meteorological department also reported that the south-west monsoon would cause heavy rains in the Nilgiris , Coimbatore, Theni and Dindigul districts of the Western Ghats .

In the 24 hours since the announcement was made , a total of 9 cm of rain was reported in Ariyalur and 8 cm of rain was reported in Aroor.

The skies darkened over Chennai too. The residents were somewhat relieved.

At the same time, the Cauvery sluices were thrown open to let water flow from Karnataka to Tamil Nadu. The Cauvery Management Commission has ordered the opening of 40.43 TMC of water to be released in the months of June and July.

With the Karnataka government's approval , the Chief Minister ordered the release of water from the dams to Tamil Nadu .

Subsequently, water from the Kabini Dam was opened up to a rate of 500 cubic feet per second; 355 cubic feet per second from the KRS [Krishnaraja sagar] Dam. It has also increased in the following days. At present 3,400 cubic feet per second is being let into the Cauvery.

The South West monsoon has been increasing, but only slightly. It is expected to be below normal if the situation continues.

Water demand fulfilled?

According to a statement issued by NITI Aayog, groundwater is likely to be rapidly exhausted in 24 of the 29 states in India.

The dispute over Cauvery is not the only cause of water problems in Tamil Nadu. Its main challenge lies in its water supply schemes. There is an inability to distribute water from ponds to homes. This is why there is a shortage of water.

Apart from this , there are other reasons for excessive ground water consumption in the urban areas of Tamil Nadu and the lack of rain water.

Recently, the High Court of Chennai recommended the setting up of a separate inquiry body to investigate the illegal ground-water extraction in Nanganallur, Chennai.

Community activists say that without proper maintenance of the state's water management infrastructure, no matter how much rain falls, the shortage of water will persist.