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Anaiyur panchayat in Madurai district has been without piped drinking water supply for the past two weeks due to a broken pump at the local overhead tank. Residents, mostly daily-wage workers and farmers, are forced to buy water cans at Rs. 50 per can, which is unaffordable for many. The local panchayat has informed TWAD Board but no repair team has been dispatched.
Residents and civic experts have long called for the construction of a flood-control bund along the southern bank of Velachery lake to prevent seasonal inundation of low-lying residential areas adjacent to the lake. During heavy monsoon rainfall, the lake overflows and floods neighbourhoods including Vijaya Nagar and surrounding streets, causing property damage and displacement. The bund construction has been repeatedly delayed and needs to be fast-tracked.
Long-pending balancing canal and diversion channel projects in Anna Nagar that were designed to manage excess rainwater and prevent flooding have remained incomplete for years due to land acquisition delays and funding issues. As a result, the constituency continues to face seasonal flooding that damages property and disrupts daily life for thousands of residents. Prioritising the completion of these critical drainage projects is essential to providing lasting flood relief.
Several lakes in the Tambaram area of Chengalpattu district have been significantly degraded through siltation, encroachment, and pollution, reducing their capacity to absorb monsoon rainfall and leading to downstream flooding. Restoring these lakes through a "deflect, drain, desilt, deepen" approach as recommended by expert committees would significantly reduce flood risk in Tambaram town. Community participation in lake restoration and post-restoration maintenance is equally important.
Velachery in Chennai experiences severe flooding almost every monsoon season due to encroachment around the Velachery lake and insufficient storm water channel capacity in the area. Illegal structures built on the lake's flood plain have reduced its water-holding capacity, causing water to spill into residential streets with little warning. Removing encroachments, desilting the lake, and expanding storm water channel capacity are urgent priorities for Chennai Corporation.
Despite government mandates making rainwater harvesting structures (RWH) compulsory for all new buildings, a significant portion of older private buildings across Tamil Nadu still lack functioning RWH systems. Poor enforcement and the absence of retrofit incentives mean that groundwater recharge potential is being lost. Strengthening enforcement, offering subsidies for retrofitting, and conducting awareness campaigns can help achieve near-universal RWH coverage.
Tamil Nadu faces significant water scarcity, yet the majority of treated sewage water from STPs is discharged rather than being recycled for industrial use. Neighbouring states have successfully implemented treated wastewater reuse programmes for industries, reducing freshwater demand significantly. Establishing infrastructure and regulatory mandates to channel treated water to industrial zones could address both water scarcity and reduce freshwater over-extraction.