2019 Chennai water crisis - Revision history

Flightsvilla: general cleaned up intro for consistency also and updated info

2025-10-21T03:57:26Z

general cleaned up intro for consistency also and updated info

← Older revision		Revision as of 09:27, 21 October 2025
Line 4:		Line 4:
	The '''2019 Chennai water crisis''' was a [[Water scarcity\|water crisis]] occurring in [[India]], most notably in the coastal city of [[Chennai]] in [[Tamil Nadu]].<ref>{{cite news \|last1=Nagarajan \|last2=Megson \|first2=Jody \|last3=Wu \|first3=Jin \|first1=Ganesh \|title=How One of the World's Wettest Major Cities Ran Out of Water \|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2021-02-03/how-a-water-crisis-hit-india-s-chennai-one-of-the-world-s-wettest-cities \|access-date=15 February 2021 \|work=[[Bloomberg News]] \|date=3 February 2021 \|language=en}}</ref> On 19 June 2019, Chennai city officials declared that "Day Zero", or the day when almost no water is left, had been reached, as all the four main reservoirs supplying water to the city had run dry.<ref>{{cite web\|url=https://www.cnn.com/2019/06/20/world/chennai-satellite-images-reservoirs-water-crisis-trnd/index.html\|title=Chennai, India, is almost out of water. Satellite images show its nearly bone-dry reservoirs\|date=20 June 2019\|first1=Paul P.\|last1=Murphy\|first2=Gianluca\|last2=Mezzofiore\|website=CNN\|accessdate=21 June 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite news \|last=Varadhan \|first=Sudarshan \|date=20 June 2019 \|title=Hotels, companies cut back on water use as taps run dry in Chennai \|newspaper=Business Standard India \|publisher= \|url=https://www.business-standard.com/article/current-affairs/hotels-companies-cut-back-on-water-use-as-taps-run-dry-in-chennai-119061900873_1.html \|accessdate=21 June 2019}}</ref> Two years of deficient monsoon rainfall, particularly in late 2017 and throughout much of 2018 had led to this crisis.<ref>{{cite web\|url=https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/chennai-rain-tamil-nadu-water-crisis-imd-1552766-2019-06-20\|title=Rain respite for parched Chennai, IMD predicts moderate showers for next 6 days\|author=India Today Web Desk\|date=20 June 2019\|website=India Today\|accessdate=21 June 2019}}</ref>		The '''2019 Chennai water crisis''' was a [[Water scarcity\|water crisis]] occurring in [[India]], most notably in the coastal city of [[Chennai]] in [[Tamil Nadu]].<ref>{{cite news \|last1=Nagarajan \|last2=Megson \|first2=Jody \|last3=Wu \|first3=Jin \|first1=Ganesh \|title=How One of the World's Wettest Major Cities Ran Out of Water \|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2021-02-03/how-a-water-crisis-hit-india-s-chennai-one-of-the-world-s-wettest-cities \|access-date=15 February 2021 \|work=[[Bloomberg News]] \|date=3 February 2021 \|language=en}}</ref> On 19 June 2019, Chennai city officials declared that "Day Zero", or the day when almost no water is left, had been reached, as all the four main reservoirs supplying water to the city had run dry.<ref>{{cite web\|url=https://www.cnn.com/2019/06/20/world/chennai-satellite-images-reservoirs-water-crisis-trnd/index.html\|title=Chennai, India, is almost out of water. Satellite images show its nearly bone-dry reservoirs\|date=20 June 2019\|first1=Paul P.\|last1=Murphy\|first2=Gianluca\|last2=Mezzofiore\|website=CNN\|accessdate=21 June 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite news \|last=Varadhan \|first=Sudarshan \|date=20 June 2019 \|title=Hotels, companies cut back on water use as taps run dry in Chennai \|newspaper=Business Standard India \|publisher= \|url=https://www.business-standard.com/article/current-affairs/hotels-companies-cut-back-on-water-use-as-taps-run-dry-in-chennai-119061900873_1.html \|accessdate=21 June 2019}}</ref> Two years of deficient monsoon rainfall, particularly in late 2017 and throughout much of 2018 had led to this crisis.<ref>{{cite web\|url=https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/chennai-rain-tamil-nadu-water-crisis-imd-1552766-2019-06-20\|title=Rain respite for parched Chennai, IMD predicts moderate showers for next 6 days\|author=India Today Web Desk\|date=20 June 2019\|website=India Today\|accessdate=21 June 2019}}</ref>

	Because tap water has stopped running, some families have been relying on alternative water sources such as distant, unreliable public water pumps, and costly private water tankers.<ref name="washPo">{{Cite ~~web~~\|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2019/06/28/major-indian-city-runs-out-water-million-people-pray-rain/?noredirect=on\|title=As a major Indian city runs out of water, 9 million people pray for rain\|last1=Masih\|first1=Niha\|last2=Slater\|first2=Joanna\|date=28 June 2019\|~~website~~=The Washington Post\|access-date=29 June 2019}}</ref>		Because tap water has stopped running, some families have been relying on alternative water sources such as distant, unreliable public water pumps, and costly private water tankers.<ref name="washPo">{{Cite news\|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2019/06/28/major-indian-city-runs-out-water-million-people-pray-rain/?noredirect=on\|title=As a major Indian city runs out of water, 9 million people pray for rain\|last1=Masih\|first1=Niha\|last2=Slater\|first2=Joanna\|date=28 June 2019\|newspaper=The Washington Post\|access-date=29 June 2019}}</ref>

	==Background==		==Background==
Line 44:		Line 44:
	}}		}}
	Chennai is a city of over 11 million people, around the size of New York City, and is the fourth largest city in India.<ref name="DowntoEarth">downtoearth.org.in/blog/water/chennai-water-crisis-a-wake-up-call-for-indian-cities-66024		Chennai is a city of over 11 million people, around the size of New York City, and is the fourth largest city in India.<ref name="DowntoEarth">downtoearth.org.in/blog/water/chennai-water-crisis-a-wake-up-call-for-indian-cities-66024
	</ref> The city is an automotive engineering hub and contains many automotive factories that are built around the reservoirs of the city. Mismanagement of the city’s water resources and weak monsoons for the last four years reduced the city’s reservoirs to 0.1% of normal capacity in June 2019.<ref name="DowntoEarth"/> Water became a valuable resource in Chennai and experienced exploitation as wealthier residents paid to dig deep bore wells on their land and sold water to other residents or businesses.<ref name=" NPR">{{cite news \| url=https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2019/07/18/742688141/the-water-crisis-in-chennai-whos-to-blame-how-do-you-fix-it \| title=The Water Crisis In Chennai, India: Who's To Blame And How Do You Fix It? \| newspaper=NPR.org \| date=18 July 2019 \| publisher=NPR \| accessdate=1 July 2020}}</ref> This practice was allowed by the government and resulted in the groundwater aquifer to be drained dramatically at twice the level of annual recharge. Protests erupted over the Chennai government’s lack of action on the issue as the water was no longer a basic human right in Chennai.<ref name=" NPR"/> The government also faced pressure on their management of the city’s four main reservoirs; Poondi, Cholavaram, Redhills and Chembarambakkam.<ref name=" DowntoEarth"/> Factories and infrastructure built in the catchments of these reservoirs were unregulated and therefore much of the rain that fell ended up in the ocean or used in excess by these factories. This further exacerbated the issue and limited the amount of water that entered the reservoirs for public consumption. Monsoon rains in 2019 have been more plentiful than in years past and have raised the reservoir levels to around 30% capacity.<ref>{{Cite web\|url=http://www.futuredirections.org.au/publication/india-water-supply-agency-declares-chennai-water-secure/\|title = India: Water Supply Agency Declares Chennai Water Secure\|date = 20 November 2019}}</ref> Chennai has declared itself water secure because of the recent rains but concern remains about the future of water security in Chennai and many other Indian cities such as Bangalore which have similar regulation issues. An Indian government think tank predicted that 21 Indian cities will be out of groundwater by 2020, and the impact of future droughts in India brought upon by climate change will put the entire country at risk unless stronger regulations are put in place.<ref>thediplomat.com/2019/08/Chennai'sman-made-water-crisis/</ref>		</ref> The city is an automotive engineering hub and contains many automotive factories that are built around the reservoirs of the city. Mismanagement of the city’s water resources and weak monsoons for the last four years reduced the city’s reservoirs to 0.1% of normal capacity in June 2019.<ref name="DowntoEarth"/> Water became a valuable resource in Chennai and experienced exploitation as wealthier residents paid to dig deep bore wells on their land and sold water to other residents or businesses.<ref name=" NPR">{{cite news \| url=https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2019/07/18/742688141/the-water-crisis-in-chennai-whos-to-blame-how-do-you-fix-it \| title=The Water Crisis In Chennai, India: Who's To Blame And How Do You Fix It? \| newspaper=NPR.org \| date=18 July 2019 \| publisher=NPR \| accessdate=1 July 2020}}</ref> This practice was allowed by the government and resulted in the groundwater [[aquifer]] to be drained dramatically at twice the level of annual recharge. Protests erupted over the Chennai government’s lack of action on the issue as the water was no longer a basic human right in Chennai.<ref name=" NPR"/> The government also faced pressure on their management of the city’s four main reservoirs; Poondi, Cholavaram, Redhills and Chembarambakkam.<ref name=" DowntoEarth"/> Factories and infrastructure built in the catchments of these reservoirs were unregulated and therefore much of the rain that fell ended up in the ocean or used in excess by these factories. This further exacerbated the issue and limited the amount of water that entered the reservoirs for public consumption. Monsoon rains in 2019 have been more plentiful than in years past and have raised the reservoir levels to around 30% capacity.<ref>{{Cite web\|url=http://www.futuredirections.org.au/publication/india-water-supply-agency-declares-chennai-water-secure/\|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191122140550/http://www.futuredirections.org.au/publication/india-water-supply-agency-declares-chennai-water-secure/\|url-status=usurped\|archive-date=22 November 2019\|title = India: Water Supply Agency Declares Chennai Water Secure\|date = 20 November 2019}}</ref> Chennai has declared itself water secure because of the recent rains but concern remains about the future of [[water security]] in Chennai and many other Indian cities such as Bangalore which have similar regulation issues. An Indian government think tank predicted that 21 Indian cities will be out of groundwater by 2020, and the impact of future droughts in India brought upon by [[climate change]] will put the entire country at risk unless stronger regulations are put in place.<ref>thediplomat.com/2019/08/Chennai'sman-made-water-crisis/</ref>

	Chennai has historically relied on annual monsoon rains to replenish its water reservoirs since the rivers are polluted with sewage.		Chennai has historically relied on annual monsoon rains to replenish its water reservoirs since the rivers are polluted with sewage.

	There are four reservoirs in the city, namely, Red Hills, Cholavaram, Poondi and Chembarambakkam, with a combined capacity of 11,057 mcft.<ref name="Hindu_RainsReplenishReservoirs">{{Cite news\| last = Lakshmi \| first = K. \| title = Rains replenish city's reservoirs \| newspaper = The Hindu \| location = Chennai \| publisher = Kasturi & Sons \| date = 23 October 2012 \| url = http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/chennai/rains-replenish-citys-reservoirs/article4023519.ece \| accessdate = 3 July 2019}}</ref>		There are four reservoirs in the city, namely, Red Hills, Cholavaram, Poondi and Chembarambakkam, with a combined capacity of 11,057 mcft.<ref name="Hindu_RainsReplenishReservoirs">{{Cite news\| last = Lakshmi \| first = K. \| title = Rains replenish city's reservoirs \| newspaper = The Hindu \| location = Chennai \| publisher = Kasturi & Sons \| date = 23 October 2012 \| url = http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/chennai/rains-replenish-citys-reservoirs/article4023519.ece \| accessdate = 3 July 2019}}</ref>
			[[File:Water Level of Chembarambakkam Lake (15 March 2017).jpg\|thumb\|Water Level of Chembarambakkam Lake (15 March 2017)]]

	===Extreme drought===		===Extreme drought===
	Three years of failed monsoon in 2016, 2017, and 2018. The 2018 monsoon season was one of the driest ever recorded in Chennai, as only 343.7 mm of rain had fallen compared to an average of 757.6 mm, which was a 55% rainfall deficit. Additionally, the entire state of Tamil Nadu had recorded a 23% rainfall deficit in that season.<ref>{{Cite web\|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chennai/dry-end-to-monsoon-season-all-time-low-rainfall-in-city-met/articleshow/67211934.cms\|date=23 December 2018\|accessdate=1 July 2019\|title=Dry end to monsoon season, all-time low rainfall in the city: Met \| Chennai News - Times of India\|website=The Times of India}}</ref> A [[2019 heatwave in India and Pakistan\|major heatwave in India]] from May to June 2019 further increasing the problem by evaporating any water still left in reservoirs.		Three years of failed monsoon in 2016, 2017, and 2018. The 2018 monsoon season was one of the driest ever recorded in Chennai, as only 343.7 mm of rain had fallen compared to an average of 757.6 mm, which was a 55% rainfall deficit. Additionally, the entire state of Tamil Nadu had recorded a 23% rainfall deficit in that season.<ref>{{Cite web\|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chennai/dry-end-to-monsoon-season-all-time-low-rainfall-in-city-met/articleshow/67211934.cms\|date=23 December 2018\|accessdate=1 July 2019\|title=Dry end to monsoon season, all-time low rainfall in the city: Met \| Chennai News - Times of India\|website=The Times of India}}</ref> A [[2019 heatwave in India and Pakistan\|major heatwave in India]] from May to June 2019 further increasing the problem by evaporating any water still left in reservoirs.

	===Government mismanagement===		===Government mismanagement===
Line 57:		Line 58:

	==Impact==		==Impact==
	Millions of people are without consistent access to water. A lack of rainwater and groundwater has left four ~~of the~~ [[reservoirs]] that supply water to the city completely dry. The inability to meet demand for water has forced businesses like hotels and restaurants to close. Water tankers from areas of [[Tamil Nadu]] unaffected by drought have been bringing water into some areas of the city. However, government tankers can take up to a month to appear after requested, so ~~some~~ families, wealthy residents, and business owners have opted to pay for costly private water tankers. The poor who live in [[slums]] do not have this option; a family in Chennai's slums may receive as little as {{convert\|30\|L\|usgal\|abbr=off}} of water every day compared to an average American household which uses {{convert\|1150\|L\|usgal\|abbr=off}} of water a day.<ref name="cnnChennai1">{{Cite web\|url=https://www.cnn.com/2019/06/19/india/chennai-water-crisis-intl-hnk/index.html\|title=India's sixth biggest city is almost entirely out of water\|last=Yeung\|first=Jessie\|date=19 June 2019\|website=CNN\|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190620090605/https://www.cnn.com/2019/06/19/india/chennai-water-crisis-intl-hnk/index.html\|archive-date=20 June 2019\|url-status=\|access-date=20 June 2019}}</ref><ref name="washPo"/>		[[File:Private Water Tanker in Chennai (15 March 2017).jpg\|thumb\|Private Water Tanker in Chennai (15 March 2017)]]
			Millions of people are without consistent access to water. A lack of rainwater and groundwater has left four [[reservoirs]] that supply water to the city completely dry. The inability to meet the demand for water has forced businesses like hotels and restaurants to close. Water tankers from areas of [[Tamil Nadu]] unaffected by drought have been bringing water into some areas of the city. However, government tankers can take up to a month to appear after requested, so many families, wealthy residents, and business owners have opted to pay for costly private water tankers. The poor who live in [[slums]] do not have this option; a family in Chennai's slums may receive as little as {{convert\|30\|L\|usgal\|abbr=off}} of water every day compared to an average American household which uses {{convert\|1150\|L\|usgal\|abbr=off}} of water a day.<ref name="cnnChennai1">{{Cite web\|url=https://www.cnn.com/2019/06/19/india/chennai-water-crisis-intl-hnk/index.html\|title=India's sixth biggest city is almost entirely out of water\|last=Yeung\|first=Jessie\|date=19 June 2019\|website=CNN\|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190620090605/https://www.cnn.com/2019/06/19/india/chennai-water-crisis-intl-hnk/index.html\|archive-date=20 June 2019\|url-status=\|access-date=20 June 2019}}</ref><ref name="washPo"/>

	Many fights over water have also broken out ~~as a result of~~ the conflict. In one such conflict that occurred on 15 June 2019, a woman was stabbed and the perpetrator was turned in to the police.<ref name="stabbed">{{Cite web\|url=~~http~~://www.newindianexpress.com/cities/chennai/2019/jun/15/28-year-old-chennai-woman-stabbed-by-neighbour-over-water-dispute-1990355.html\|title=28-year-old Chennai woman stabbed by neighbour over water dispute\|date=15 June 2019\|website=The New Indian Express\|access-date=29 June 2019}}</ref>		Many fights over water have also broken out due to the conflict. In one such conflict that occurred on 15 June 2019, a woman was stabbed and the perpetrator was turned in to the police.<ref name="stabbed">{{Cite web\|url=https://www.newindianexpress.com/cities/chennai/2019/jun/15/28-year-old-chennai-woman-stabbed-by-neighbour-over-water-dispute-1990355.html\|title=28-year-old Chennai woman stabbed by neighbour over water dispute\|date=15 June 2019\|website=The New Indian Express\|access-date=29 June 2019}}</ref>

	== See also ==		== See also ==
Line 67:		Line 69:
	{{reflist}}		{{reflist}}

	~~{{DEFAULTSORT:Chennai Water Crisis}}~~		== Further reading ==

	{{~~#seo:~~		* {{Citation \|last=Kalia \|first=Bhrigu \|title=Water Crisis in Cities: The Case of 'Day Zero' in Chennai, India \|date=2020 \|url=https://ic-sd.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Bhrigu-Kalia.pdf}}
	\|~~keywords~~=~~2010s~~ in Chennai, ~~Water scarcity, 2019 disasters in~~ India~~, Water in India~~
	\|~~description~~=
	}}

			{{DEFAULTSORT:Chennai Water Crisis}}
	[[Category:2010s in Chennai]]		[[Category:2010s in Chennai]]
	[[Category:Water scarcity]]		[[Category:Water scarcity]]
	[[Category:2019 disasters in India]]		[[Category:2019 disasters in India]]
	[[Category:Water in India]]		[[Category:Water in India]]

	~~== Further reading ==~~

	* {{Citation \|last=Kalia \|first=Bhrigu \|title=Water Crisis in Cities: The Case of ‘Day Zero’ in Chennai, India \|date=2020 \|url=https://ic-sd.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Bhrigu-Kalia.pdf}}<br />
	~~{{TamilNadu-stub}}~~

MetaBOT: robot: added template for meta tags

2023-07-08T19:50:12Z

robot: added template for meta tags

← Older revision		Revision as of 01:20, 9 July 2023
Line 68:		Line 68:

	{{DEFAULTSORT:Chennai Water Crisis}}		{{DEFAULTSORT:Chennai Water Crisis}}

			{{#seo:
			\|keywords=2010s in Chennai, Water scarcity, 2019 disasters in India, Water in India
			\|description=
			}}

	[[Category:2010s in Chennai]]		[[Category:2010s in Chennai]]
	[[Category:Water scarcity]]		[[Category:Water scarcity]]

UpdateBot: robot: Update article (please report if you notice any mistake or error in this edit)

2022-04-17T02:49:22Z

robot: Update article (please report if you notice any mistake or error in this edit)

Show changes

45.251.33.187: Removed unsourced non-NPOV text

2021-06-05T12:57:13Z

Removed unsourced non-NPOV text

← Older revision		Revision as of 18:27, 5 June 2021
Line 23:		Line 23:
	Millions of people are without consistent access to water. A lack of rainwater and groundwater has left four of the [[reservoirs]] that supply the city completely dry. The inability to meet demand for water has forced businesses like hotels and restaurants to close. Water tankers from areas of [[Tamil Nadu]] unaffected by drought have been bringing water into some areas of the city. However, government tankers can take up to a month to appear after requested, so some families, wealthy residents, and business owners have opted to pay for costly private water tankers. The poor who live in [[slums]] do not have this option; a family in Chennai's slums may receive as little as {{convert\|30\|L\|usgal\|abbr=off}} of water every day compared to an average American household which uses {{convert\|1150\|L\|usgal\|abbr=off}} of water a day.<ref name="cnnChennai1">{{Cite web\|url=https://www.cnn.com/2019/06/19/india/chennai-water-crisis-intl-hnk/index.html\|title=India's sixth biggest city is almost entirely out of water\|last=Yeung\|first=Jessie\|date=19 June 2019\|website=CNN\|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190620090605/https://www.cnn.com/2019/06/19/india/chennai-water-crisis-intl-hnk/index.html\|archive-date=20 June 2019\|url-status=\|access-date=20 June 2019}}</ref><ref name="washPo"/>		Millions of people are without consistent access to water. A lack of rainwater and groundwater has left four of the [[reservoirs]] that supply the city completely dry. The inability to meet demand for water has forced businesses like hotels and restaurants to close. Water tankers from areas of [[Tamil Nadu]] unaffected by drought have been bringing water into some areas of the city. However, government tankers can take up to a month to appear after requested, so some families, wealthy residents, and business owners have opted to pay for costly private water tankers. The poor who live in [[slums]] do not have this option; a family in Chennai's slums may receive as little as {{convert\|30\|L\|usgal\|abbr=off}} of water every day compared to an average American household which uses {{convert\|1150\|L\|usgal\|abbr=off}} of water a day.<ref name="cnnChennai1">{{Cite web\|url=https://www.cnn.com/2019/06/19/india/chennai-water-crisis-intl-hnk/index.html\|title=India's sixth biggest city is almost entirely out of water\|last=Yeung\|first=Jessie\|date=19 June 2019\|website=CNN\|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190620090605/https://www.cnn.com/2019/06/19/india/chennai-water-crisis-intl-hnk/index.html\|archive-date=20 June 2019\|url-status=\|access-date=20 June 2019}}</ref><ref name="washPo"/>

	Many fights over water have also broken out as a result of the conflict. In one such conflict that occurred on 15 June 2019, a woman was stabbed and the perpetrator was turned in to the police.<ref name="stabbed">{{Cite web\|url=http://www.newindianexpress.com/cities/chennai/2019/jun/15/28-year-old-chennai-woman-stabbed-by-neighbour-over-water-dispute-1990355.html\|title=28-year-old Chennai woman stabbed by neighbour over water dispute\|date=15 June 2019\|website=The New Indian Express\|access-date=29 June 2019}}</ref> ~~Now in 2020 Chennai is still not getting as much water. Water scarcity is still continuing in parts of the city.~~		Many fights over water have also broken out as a result of the conflict. In one such conflict that occurred on 15 June 2019, a woman was stabbed and the perpetrator was turned in to the police.<ref name="stabbed">{{Cite web\|url=http://www.newindianexpress.com/cities/chennai/2019/jun/15/28-year-old-chennai-woman-stabbed-by-neighbour-over-water-dispute-1990355.html\|title=28-year-old Chennai woman stabbed by neighbour over water dispute\|date=15 June 2019\|website=The New Indian Express\|access-date=29 June 2019}}</ref>

	== See also ==		== See also ==

115.99.183.112: /* Background */

2021-02-20T08:10:43Z

Background

New page

{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2020}}
{{Use Indian English|date=July 2020}}
The '''2019 Chennai water crisis''' was a [[Water scarcity|water crisis]] occurring in [[India]], most notably in the city of [[Chennai]] in [[Tamil Nadu]].<ref>{{cite news |last1=Nagarajan |last2=Megson |first2=Jody |last3=Wu |first3=Jin |first1=Ganesh |title=How One of the World’s Wettest Major Cities Ran Out of Water |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2021-02-03/how-a-water-crisis-hit-india-s-chennai-one-of-the-world-s-wettest-cities |access-date=15 February 2021 |work=[[Bloomberg News]] |date=3 February 2021 |language=en}}</ref> On 19 June 2019, Chennai city officials declared that "Day Zero", or the day when almost no water is left, had been reached, as all the four main reservoirs supplying water to the city had run dry.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cnn.com/2019/06/20/world/chennai-satellite-images-reservoirs-water-crisis-trnd/index.html|title=Chennai, India, is almost out of water. Satellite images show its nearly bone-dry reservoirs|date=20 June 2019|first1=Paul P.|last1=Murphy|first2=Gianluca|last2=Mezzofiore|website=CNN|accessdate=21 June 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.business-standard.com/article/current-affairs/hotels-companies-cut-back-on-water-use-as-taps-run-dry-in-chennai-119061900873_1.html|title=Hotels, companies cut back on water use as taps run dry in Chennai|first=Sudarshan|last=Varadhan|date=20 June 2019|publisher=Business Standard|accessdate=21 June 2019}}</ref> Two years of deficient monsoon rainfall, particularly in late 2017 and throughout much of 2018 had led to this crisis.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/chennai-rain-tamil-nadu-water-crisis-imd-1552766-2019-06-20|title=Rain respite for parched Chennai, IMD predicts moderate showers for next 6 days|author=India Today Web Desk|date=20 June 2019|website=India Today|accessdate=21 June 2019}}</ref>

Because tap water has stopped running, some families have been relying on alternative water sources such as distant, unreliable public water pumps, and costly private water tankers.<ref name="washPo">{{Cite web|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2019/06/28/major-indian-city-runs-out-water-million-people-pray-rain/?noredirect=on|title=As a major Indian city runs out of water, 9 million people pray for rain|last=Masih|first=Niha|last2=Slater|first2=Joanna|date=28 June 2019|website=The Washington Post|access-date=29 June 2019}}</ref>

==Background==
{{Main|Water management in Chennai}}
Chennai is a city of over 11 million people, around the size of New York City, and is the fourth largest city in India.<ref name="DowntoEarth">downtoearth.org.in/blog/water/chennai-water-crisis-a-wake-up-call-for-indian-cities-66024
</ref> The city is an automotive engineering hub and contains many automotive factories that are built around the reservoirs of the city. Mismanagement of the city’s water resources and weak monsoons for the last four years reduced the city’s reservoirs to 0.1% of normal capacity in June 2019.<ref name="DowntoEarth"/> Water became a valuable resource in Chennai and experienced exploitation as wealthier residents paid to dig deep bore wells on their land and sold water to other residents or businesses.<ref name="NPR">{{cite web | url=https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2019/07/18/742688141/the-water-crisis-in-chennai-whos-to-blame-how-do-you-fix-it | title=The Water Crisis In Chennai, India: Who's To Blame And How Do You Fix It? | date=18 July 2019 | publisher=NPR | accessdate=1 July 2020}}</ref> This practice was allowed by the government and resulted in the groundwater aquifer to be drained dramatically at twice the level of annual recharge. Protests erupted over the Chennai government’s lack of action on the issue as water was no longer a basic human right in Chennai.<ref name="NPR"/> The government also faced pressure on their management of the city’s four main reservoirs; Poondi, Cholavaram, Redhills and Chembarambakkam.<ref name="DowntoEarth"/> Factories and infrastructure built in the catchments of these reservoirs were unregulated and therefore much of the rain that fell ended up in the ocean or used in excess by these factories. This further exacerbated the issue and limited the amount of water that entered the reservoirs for public consumption. Monsoon rains in 2019 have been more plentiful in years past and have raised the reservoir levels to around 30% capacity.<ref>http://www.futuredirections.org.au/publication/india-water-supply-agency-declares-chennai-water-secure/</ref> Chennai has declared itself water secure because of the recent rains but concern remains about the future of water security in Chennai and many other Indian cities such as Bangalore which have similar regulation issues. An Indian government think tank predicted that 21 Indian cities will be out of groundwater by 2020, and the impact of future droughts in India brought upon by climate change will put the entire country at risk unless stronger regulations are put in place.<ref>thediplomat.com/2019/08/chennais-man-made-water-crisis/</ref>

Chennai has historically relied on annual monsoon rains to replenish its water reservoirs since the rivers are polluted with sewage.

There are four reservoirs in the city, namely, Red Hills, Cholavaram, Poondi and Chembarambakkam, with a combined capacity of 11,057 mcft.<ref name="Hindu_RainsReplenishReservoirs">{{Cite news| last = Lakshmi | first = K. | title = Rains replenish city’s reservoirs | newspaper = The Hindu | location = Chennai | publisher = Kasturi & Sons | date = 23 October 2012 | url = http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/chennai/rains-replenish-citys-reservoirs/article4023519.ece | accessdate = 3 July 2019}}</ref>

===Extreme drought===
Three years of failed monsoon in 2016, 2017, and 2018. The 2018 northeast monsoon season was one of the driest ever recorded in Chennai, as only 343.7 mm of rain had fallen compared to an average of 757.6 mm, which was a 55% rainfall deficit. Additionally, the entire state of Tamil Nadu had recorded a 23% rainfall deficit in that season.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chennai/dry-end-to-monsoon-season-all-time-low-rainfall-in-city-met/articleshow/67211934.cms|date=23 December 2018|accessdate=1 July 2019|title=Dry end to monsoon season, all time low rainfall in city: Met | Chennai News - Times of India|website=The Times of India}}</ref> A [[2019 heat wave in India and Pakistan|major heat wave in India]] from May to June 2019 further exacerbated the problem by evaporating any water still left in reservoirs.

===Government mismanagement===
Government mismanagement and unplanned construction has also been a factor to blame for this crisis.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/energy-and-environment/chennais-day-zero-its-not-just-meteorology-but-mismanagement-thats-made-the-city-run-dry/article28197491.ece|title=Chennai’s Day Zero: It’s not just meteorology but mismanagement that’s made the city run dry|first=K.|last=Lakshmi|date=28 June 2019|accessdate=1 July 2019|via=www.thehindu.com}}</ref>

==Impact==
Millions of people are without consistent access to water. A lack of rainwater and groundwater has left four of the [[reservoirs]] that supply the city completely dry. The inability to meet demand for water has forced businesses like hotels and restaurants to close. Water tankers from areas of [[Tamil Nadu]] unaffected by drought have been bringing water into some areas of the city. However, government tankers can take up to a month to appear after requested, so some families, wealthy residents, and business owners have opted to pay for costly private water tankers. The poor who live in [[slums]] do not have this option; a family in Chennai's slums may receive as little as {{convert|30|L|usgal|abbr=off}} of water every day compared to an average American household which uses {{convert|1150|L|usgal|abbr=off}} of water a day.<ref name="cnnChennai1">{{Cite web|url=https://www.cnn.com/2019/06/19/india/chennai-water-crisis-intl-hnk/index.html|title=India's sixth biggest city is almost entirely out of water|last=Yeung|first=Jessie|date=19 June 2019|website=CNN|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190620090605/https://www.cnn.com/2019/06/19/india/chennai-water-crisis-intl-hnk/index.html|archive-date=20 June 2019|url-status=|access-date=20 June 2019}}</ref><ref name="washPo"/>

Many fights over water have also broken out as a result of the conflict. In one such conflict that occurred on 15 June 2019, a woman was stabbed and the perpetrator was turned in to the police.<ref name="stabbed">{{Cite web|url=http://www.newindianexpress.com/cities/chennai/2019/jun/15/28-year-old-chennai-woman-stabbed-by-neighbour-over-water-dispute-1990355.html|title=28-year-old Chennai woman stabbed by neighbour over water dispute|date=15 June 2019|website=The New Indian Express|access-date=29 June 2019}}</ref> Now in 2020 Chennai is still not getting as much water. Water scarcity is still continuing in parts of the city.

== See also ==
* [[Cape Town water crisis]] – a similar water crisis that occurred in Cape Town, South Africa in 2018

== References ==
{{reflist}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Chennai Water Crisis}}
[[Category:2010s in Chennai]]
[[Category:Water scarcity]]
[[Category:2019 disasters in India]]
[[Category:Water in India]]

{{TamilNadu-stub}}