CHENNAI: A special 50-wagon train carrying 2.5 million litres of water arrived in Chennai on Friday, as the southern hub reels under one of its worst shortages in decades.

The wagons were hauled by a special locomotive carrying a “Drinking Water for Chennai” banner on its front.

Four special trains a day have been called up to bring water to Chennai — India’s sixth most populous city — from Vellore, some 125 kilometres away, to help battle the drought.

The first consignment will be taken to a water treatment centre, and then distributed in trucks to different parts of the metropolis on Saturday.

Chennai has seen only a fraction of the rain it usually receives during June and July.

The city of 4.9 million people also needed trains to bring water in when it suffered a similar crisis in 2001. The bustling capital of Tamil Nadu state normally requires at least 825 million litres of water a day, but authorities are currently only able to supply 60 per cent of that.

With temperatures regularly hitting 40 degrees Celsius, reservoirs have run dry and other water sources are dwindling further each day.

The city’s economy has taken a hit as some hotels and restaurants shut shop temporarily, and there have been reports of fights breaking out as people queue for water.

However, according to a senior official, one possible solution to the crisis is being overlooked.

The residents should be persuaded to use less water, said Krishna Mohan Ramachandran, Chennai’s chief resilience officer.

“Encouraging everyone to use less water will be the surest way of easing shortages and social tensions,” he said. “The one short-term measure that can work for Chennai is to really control the demand for water through better awareness and action from our citizens.”

But few ordinary residents know how much of a difference cutting back could make, he said, adding people have continued to water their gardens, wash cars and leave taps running in sinks despite the crisis.

“The citizens are quick to point fingers at the government, but they are not lifting a finger to actually conserve water at home,” he said.

Groundwater levels and reservoirs have been dropping fast in the area around Chennai, mainly due to bad water management and weak rainfall during last year’s monsoon.

Longer term, the city must expand its ability to capture and store rainfall so it can be reused, as well as recycling waste water, Mohan said.

A new resilience strategy to help the city cope with a range of shocks and stresses — including climate change and urban expansion — includes projects to help Chennai protect and rehabilitate its 3,600 lakes, ponds and canals.

But to deal more quickly with water shortages, Mohan’s team, based at the Greater Chennai Corporation — the civic body that governs the city — has planned a campaign to educate the public on the need to save water and to show some simple ways to do it.

Published in Dawn, July 13th, 2019