In-Depth Research: Water in the Expanded Chennai Corporation
Population Growth in the Peri-Urban Areas
It is commonly believed that because urban commerce and industry are less water-intensive than agriculture, groundwater extraction in the urbanizing periphery will be reduced. As it turns out, however, high population growth rates and expanding industry will offset this trend and actually increase water demand. According to the Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority’s (CMDA) Master Plan (2006), projected population growth within Chennai Corporation city limits will be 1.18% and in peri-urban areas, 2.25%. The number of peri-urban households is expected to increase by 45% from 2010 to 2025. During this time period, the proportion of urban and agricultural land will switch from 35% urban, 61% agriculture to 60% urban, 36% agriculture. Furthermore, rising incomes means more of these households will have indoor plumbing and the quantity of water extracted per household may increase by 50%.[i]
*from Veena Srinivasan, 2008.
How are Peri-Urban Areas Currently getting their Water?
As mentioned in earlier sections, the urban local bodies (ULBs) are responsible for providing water to their administrative unit. The Tamil Nadu Water and Drainage Board (TWAD) and the Chennai Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (CMWSSB) limit services to systems design, physical capital implementation, or bulk water supply. Household water connections must be operated and maintained by the ULB itself. TWAD namely helps ULBs dig bore wells that provide water that is then elevated to a service reservoir ranging from 10,000 to 1.00 lakh litres and distributed through public fountains and house service connections. Through “mini-power pump schemes” it also helps mitigate the physical difficulty and inefficiency of hand pumps.
Funding
Furthermore, funding for water supply schemes must be procured by the ULB. This comes from a combination of loans and grants from the state and central governments, as well as local tax revenue. The state funds come from the Tamil Nadu Urban Development Fund (TNUDF) that in turn mainly consists of three tranches with support from international development agencies: the Tamil Nadu Urban Development Project –II & III (TNUPD-II & III) with assistance from the World Bank, the Tamil Nadu Urban Infrastructure Project (TNUIP) with assistance from the Japan International Co-operation Agency (JICA), and the Sustainable Municipal Infrastructure Financing –Tamil Nadu (SMIF-TN) with assistance from KfW (Germany). The total available funding from TNUDF is Rs. 1441.85 crores.
Central government schemes like the Jawaharal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) support certain parts of the metropolitan area. JNNURM provides funding for 6 water supply projects within Chennai Corporation (Rs. 546.73 crores) and 22 projects for 18 local bodies within the Chennai Metropolitan Area (combined Rs. 1485.27 crores for 8 municipalities, 9 Town Panchayats and 1 Village Panchayat). A list of local bodies receiving JNNURM funding is available here. According to the Chennai CDP, as of 2009 the total JNNURM funding approved for water supply schemes in the Chennai Urban Agglomeration (CUA) is 10,927.91 (Rs. Millions). Of this, the central government share is 3,824.77 (Rs. Millions) (35%), the state share is 1,639.19 (Rs. Millions) (15%), and the ULB share is 5,463.95 (Rs. Millions) (50%). Central government funding is also available for rural areas within the Chennai Metropolitan Area through the Ministry of Rural Development’s National Rural Drinking Water Program (NRDWP). The state must provide a 50% matching share in order to receive this funding.
How are the Corporation and MetroWater Expanding?
According to a government order issued in December 2009, the Corporation of Chennai will expand to include 42 surrounding ULBs: 9 municipalities, 8 town panchayats, and 25 village panchayats. This means the Corporation will grow from174 to 426 square kilometres, from a population of 5.5 million to 6.8 million, and from a 155-member council to one of 200.[1]
In preparation, the CMWSSB is also extending its water supply services into these local bodies. It is doing this gradually, supposedly without preferential treatment to certain regions, and still under the process whereby local bodies request, contract, and pay for CMWSSB services that are outlined in a CMWSSB Detailed Project Report (DPR). According to a CMWSSB official, in the future, the goal is to have MetroWater responsible for water supply to the entire expanded Corporation area.
Per a MetroWater official in the Planning and Design department, this service expansion is still only in a planning phase but that within the next five years, MetroWater will implement both water supply and sewerage schemes in all the 42 ULBs. When asked, MetroWater was unwilling to provide details about the schemes but broadly said that in addition to bulk water supply, pipeline systems, overhead tanks, sumps, underground sewerage systems, water pumping stations, and water distribution stations would be implemented. They noted that until the Corporation’s expansion is official, ULBs remain responsible for local operations and maintenance. For residential water, for example, MetroWater builds pipeline up to a building compound but it is the ULB that is responsible for connecting individual household units to this main artery. Therefore, for problems with water supply, citizens should direct questions and complaints to the local ULB administration.
Status of the MetroWater Planned Water Supply Expansion in the 42 ULBs
(as of June 2011, source CMWSSB)
Table 3.
Status of ULB |
Schemes already implemented |
Schemes sanctioned under JNNURM & work under progress |
DPRs already prepared |
DPRs yet to be prepared |
|
| Municipalities | Kattivakkam
Valasaravakkam |
Thiruvottiyur
Ambattur Maduravoyal Alandur Ullakaram-Puzhuthivakkam |
Madhavaram | Manali | |
| Town Panchayats | Porur | Chinnasekadu
Puzhal Nandambakkam Meenambakkam Pallikaranai Perungudi Sholinganallur |
|||
| Village Panchayats | Nerkundram | Manapakkam | Mugalivakkam
Madipakkam Ramapuram Mathur Edayanchavadi Karambakkam Kottivakkam Palavakkam Neelankarai Karapakkam Jaladampettai Okkium-Thoraipakkam |
Sadayankuppam
Kadapakkam Thiyambakkam Vadaperumbakkam Surapattu Kathirvedu Puttagaram Nolambur Injambakkam Semmancheri Uthandi |
|
Inside MetroWater: the Bureaucratic Process
The statuses of the MetroWater schemes within each ULB vary based on factors such as feasibility and approval of the DPR prepared for each ULB by the Department of Planning & Design. Once a DPR is prepared, it is sent to the Contracts and Monitoring (C&M) department and a tender offer is made with a 5-10% premium. The internal tender committee comprised of members from the Board of Directors (Managing Director, Executive Director, Finance Director, and Engineering Director) approves the recipient of the tender and a copy of the agreement is sent to the construction department within Operations and Maintenance (O&M).
According to the MetroWater official, there is no system of prioritization for water supply within this expanded scheme. ULBs petition MetroWater for water supply and MetroWater, in turn, conducts a feasibility study. Feasibility is said to dictate the provision of services. In some cases, schemes are stalled because of local protests.
Despite the claim that there is no system of prioritization, the 42 ULBs and Chennai Corporation, are grouped into three groups. Classifications were given to MetroWater by the Chennai Corporation and correspond to tax revenues and population. Group 1 is constituted by Chennai Corporation and has a water demand of 155 lpcd (the CMWSSB official says it is actually 135 lpcd but that the over-projection is made to accommodate water lost through leakages). Group 2 has a water demand of 125 lpcd and Group 3 has water demand of 104 lpcd.
On the other hand, the extension of sewerage schemes does involve prioritization based on population density of the ULB. There are three phases. Phase 1 is for ULB of a population density of >7500/sq.km, Phase 2 for ULB 5000-7500/sq.km, and Phase 3 for ULB <5000/sq.km.
Status of MetroWater Planned Sewerage Expansion in the 42 ULBs
(as of June 2011, source CMWSSB)
Table 4.
Population Density |
Already Executed |
Execution under Progress |
DPRs prepared |
Preparation of DPR yet to be taken up |
| >7500 | Alandur
Valasaravakkam |
Perungudi
Thiruvottiyur Maduravoyal Ullagaram-Puzhuthivakkam Ambattur Porur |
Nerkundram
Ramapuram Palavakkam Kathivakkam |
Karampakkam |
| 5000-7500 | Madhavaram | Kottivakkam
Neelankarai Madipakkam Nandambakkam Okkium-Thoraipakkam |
Uthandi
Chinna Sekkadu |
|
| <5000 | Pallikaranai | Mugalivakkam
Manapakkam Injambakkam Karapakkam Nolambur Meenambakkam |
Jalladampettai
Puthagaram Kathivedu Soorapattu Idayanchavadi Kadapakkam Vadaperumbakkam Semmanjeri Theeyambakkam Sadayankuppam Puzhal Manali Sholinganallur Mathur |
A Case Study: Alandur, Special Grade Municipality (population 162, 210)
In Alandur, Transparent Chennai met with the municipal engineer, Mr. N. Mahesan, in charge of local water supply.
Alandur’s total water demand is 29 MLD (roughly 135 LPCD), of which 10.5 MLD (roughly 55 lpcd) are supplied by MetroWater. The water supply system consists of seven overhead tanks ranging in capacity from 0.2ML to 1.8 ML, and one underground tank of 0.6 ML capacity.[2] According to Alandur Municipality, there are 134 kilometres of main distribution line, 375 hand pumps, 28 open wells, and 32 power pumps. The gap between water supply and demand is made up for by individual users through wells and purchased private water that is transported via tankers.
Currently, Alandur purchases MetroWater water (10.5 MLD) for Rs.7 per 1000 litres. MetroWater is paid monthly by the ULB for the bulk water to be transmitted via pipeline to local tanks. The ULB is in charge of local water connections and distribution. There are a total of 18,445 house service connections. For domestic use, citizens pay a deposit of Rs.3,000 and then Rs.50.5 per month for connection. For commercial use, the deposit is Rs. 5,000 and monthly fees are Rs. 120.50.
Alandur has also signed a contract with MetroWater for a “Water Supply Improvements Scheme”. The contract amounts to 64.39 crores (6439.00 lakhs) and will provide for 145 kilometres of ductile iron pipes and 6 overhead water tanks (3.7 ML total capacity) and 5 underground sumps. Based on the CDP proposed project summary, 18,782 new house service connections will be made. Estimated time of completion is end of 2011. Completion of the scheme will mean that MetroWater will supply all of Alandur’s total current water demand (29 MLD at 135 lpcd).
As a recipient of JNNURM funds, Alandur will pay for this investment with 35% central funds, 15% state funds, and 50% local ULB funds. Of the local ULB funds, 40% will come from financial loans and 10% from local tax revenue.
The “Water Supply Improvements Scheme” is all in anticipation of quick population growth. Per the 2010 census, Alandur’s population was 162,210. The Chennai CDP (2009) states that the projected Alandur population will be 228,757 and 285,999 by 2025 and 2040, respectively. The corresponding water demand for these projected populations is 35.45 MLD and 45.32 MLD (at 155 lpcd plus allowable leakage =135 lpcd). However, the CDP claims that more recent projections put Alandur’s population at 250,000 by 2026.
If finished in a timely and complete way, this scheme should provide enough water to meet Alandur’s current water demand. However, if population projections are correct, the scheme will still fall short of future water demand in 2025, and likely before even that.
Current Sources of MetroWater
Chennai receives its water from a combination of surface and ground water, and seawater desalination plants.
Surface water
Surface water supplies come from three interconnected reservoirs (Poondi, Cholavaram, and Redhills) and two separate ones (Chembarambakkam and Veeranam lakes). The reservoirs are providing most of CMWSSB’s water supply: approximately 780 million liters per day (MLD).
Under the Telugu Ganga Project (Krishna Water Supply Project), water from the Krishna River in Andra Pradesh is collected in three reservoirs (Srisailam, Somasila, and Kandaleru) and then piped 408 km into the Poondi reservoir. From Poondi, the water is distributed via pipe to the other reservoirs at Redhills, Cholavaram, and Chembarambakkam. The Telugu Ganga Project is critical to Chennai’s water supply. Srinivasan argues that the politics of inter-state water transfers threaten the project’s regular future supply and will create a major water crisis in times of drought.[ii]
Ground water
Currently CMWSSB is retrieving ground water in the Araniyar-Korataliyar (A-K) Basin and at the Southern Coastal Aquifer between Thiruvanmiyur and Muttukadu along Mahabalipuram Road.
The A-K Basin consists of six “well fields” at Minjur, Panjetty, Tamaraipakkam Poondi, Kannigaiper, and Flood Plains. Projected available ground water from these sources was initially 180 MLD but with groundwater depletion, the actual amount available is much lower. Groundwater extraction has led water tables to fall and the ingress of seawater leading to increased soil salinity. One report lists the maximum about of the A-K Basin at 100 MLD.
While CMWSSB does own bore wells, what the CMWSSB calls a “well field” may actually entail purchase of water from private agricultural wells through what is known as a “Tripartite Agreement” between CMWSSB, the Tamil Nadu Electricity Board (TNEB), and local farmers. CMWSSB pays TNEB for electricity and the farmers for water supply. Most of this well-field water is going to Chennai where, like most cities, there is more industry than agriculture: thus there is a tension in the substitution of industry for agriculture. The value of the water for sale to CMWSSB is greater than the value of water for agricultural irrigation. Wealthier farmers who own units of water production may benefit but poorer farmers who depend on purchasing water supply for irrigation will suffer higher water prices or the lack of access to water entirely.[iii], [iv]
Desalination Plants
Because surface and ground water depend on uncertain rainfall, seawater has been the city’s strategy to reduce the water supply and demand gap. Currently, there is an operational plant at Kattupalli, Minjur that is a private-public partnership between the CMWSSB and privately owned Chennai Water Desalination Limited (CWDL). The terms of this arrangement are called DBOOT—Design, Build, Own, Operate, and Transfer. The plant will be owned privately for 25 years during which CMWSSB will purchase water under a Bulk Water Purchase Agreement (BWPA). Afterwards the 25-year period, the plant will be transferred to the CMWSSB. Per the Chennai 2009 CDP, the preliminary cost estimate for this plant was Rs. 878.80 million.
Currently, another plant is under construction by VA Tech Wabag in Nemmeli on a DBOOT basis and with funding from the central Government of India through JNNURM (sanctioned Rs. 871.24 crore). Per the Chennai 2009 CDP, the estimated total cost is Rs. 9082.80 million. Its construction began in 2010 and expected completion is end of 2012. Both plants at Minjur and Nemeli are to provide 100 MLD each. As of 8 June 2011, the Minjur plant was providing only 70.19 MLD.[v] Srinivasan argues that the desalination plants are a very expensive strategy and moreover, they are insufficient to meet future increases in water demand.[vi]
^
[1] G.O.(Ms)No.256, MA&WS (Election) Department, dated 26.12.2009, on expansion of the boundaries of Corporation of Chennai.
[2] Figures from Chennai CDP (2009), volume 3. However, according to a document from Alandur Municipality, there are only six overhead tanks.
[i] Veena Srinivasan. “An Integrated Framework for Analysis of Water Supply Strategies in a Developing City: Chennai, India”. Veena Srinivasan: 2008, p. 160.
[ii]Veena Srinivasan, 2008, p. 147
[iii] http://www.frontlineonnet.com/fl2110/stories/20040521004009700.htm
[iv] Joel Ruet, Marie Gambiez, and Emilie Lacour, “Private appropriation of resource: Impact of peri-urban farmers selling water to Chennai Metropolitan Water Board,” Cities, 2007, vol 24, no.2.
[v]“Lake Level and Storage as on 08-06-2011”, an internal MetroWater document.
[vi] Veena Srinivasan, 2008, p.143.