Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami has said the state government would bring water to Chennai by trains from Jolarpettai, which is about 220 km away. He also thanked the Kerala government for its gesture of sending a water train to Chennai, and said he would explore if it would be possible to get water from the neighbour on a daily basis.
Addressing a press conference after chairing a high-level meeting on the water crisis, Palaniswami said the government would bring 10 million litres per day (MLD) from Jolarpaettai by train. He said this would cost Rs 65 crore.
Chennai has been facing severe water shortages after consecutive years of failed monsoons left the city's four major sources of water dry. The government has also been facing flak for poor water management. Chennai's water requirement has been estimated at about 800 MLD. Chennai Metro Water has been able to supply 525 MLD by water tankers.
Palaniswami also sought to fend off the barrage of criticism he has been facing since he said the water crisis was not as bad as the media was portraying it to be. He also played down reports that he and his ministers have been receiving special supplies of water tankers even as the rest of the city continues to struggle to find water.
"It is wrong to say that I get two lorries of water daily. I have a huge house where many people visit and there is a huge staff. I have to provide water to them," he said.
He also seemed to make an effort to deflect criticism over his government's handling of the water crisis by dragging up the Mullaiperiyar issue. "The Tamil Nadu government is working to strengthen the Mullaperiyar Dam in order to store more water. Unfortunately, the Kerala government is not letting us do this. I urge Kerala govt to cooperate with us on this," he said.
He however thanked the Kerala government for its gesture of sending 2 million litres of water by train to help out with the water crisis. Palaniswami said he would reach out to the Kerala government to see if it would be able to supply that much water on a daily basis.
