Why Chennai Water Crisis is a Man-Made Disaster and what needs to be done to save Indian cities from rapidly depleting water sources?
What is Chennai going through? Source : The Financial Express This is the second time in the last four years that Chennai has made news about its extreme rainfall patterns. While four years back, the city was devastated by heavy rain and destructive floods; this time around, the havoc has been created by meagre rain and widespread drought forcing people to rely on water tankers as the taps have run dry. The drastic shift in rainfall patterns can be attributed partly to Climate Change, but is largely a repercussion of our indifference towards water conservation aggravated by high temperatures and a Heat Wave. Chennai's water sources are at a 70 year low, holding just 1% of the water they had at the same time last year. The extent of the drought can be realised by the fact that businesses are asking their employees to work from home, restaurants have shut down, people have to rely on municipal water tankers and public restrooms have become defunct. Chennai's Puzha