Study explores potential of abandoned quarries in city to augment water sources
Researchers from IIT Madras are studying the feasibility of using abandoned quarries in Chennai as alternative water storage sites. The project aims to create a cost-effective water network to mitigate drought risks and reduce evaporation losses compared to traditional reservoirs.
Why it matters
Repurposing industrial sites for water security offers a sustainable solution to urban water scarcity in rapidly growing cities.
A team of researchers, including those from IIT Madras, is exploring the potential of abandoned quarries in Chennai’s southern fringes to augment water sources.
Abandoned quarries form an essential component of Chennai’s drought contingency plan.
Chennai Metrowater, which maintains a network of quarries as buffer sources at Sikkarayapuram and Erumaiyur downstream of Chembarambakkam reservoir, plans to use them in the event of a poor Northeast monsoon.
In the wake of declining storage in the city’s major reservoirs, renewed focus has been placed on abandoned quarries as alternative water sources.
The team — led by Elango Lakshmanan, visiting faculty, Hydraulics and Water Resources Engineering Group, Department of Civil Engineering, IIT Madras — has launched a study to assess the potential of nearly 25 abandoned quarries in the southern fringes such as Tambaram, Vandalur, Nallambakkam, Tiruneermalai, Unamancheri, and Keerapakkam.
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