Fifth reservoir to quench Chennai's thirst

In order to augment water resources and meet the demands of the Tamil Nadu capital, the government has decided to set up a fifth reservoir near here at an outlay of Rs.330 crores.

In a statement issued here Thursday, the government said Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa through video conference Wednesday from the state secretariat laid the foundation of the reservoir project, which will link two lakes in Thiruvallur district near here.

The new reservoir will have a total storage capacity of 1,000 million cubic feet and supply drinking water to Chennai.

It will also store water received from Krishna River in Andhra Pradesh, apart from harnessing rain water.

Currently, the city's water needs are met through reservoirs at Poondi, Redhills, Cholavaram and Chembarambakkam. There are also two desalination water plants serving Chennai. - IANS