Chennai’s Day Zero: what happened in 2019
How a city that floods ran out of water, and what it teaches every Indian city.
What happened
On 19 June 2019, officials declared “Day Zero” in Chennai after the four main reservoirs that supply the city ran dry. Two years of weak monsoons, especially in late 2017 and through 2018, had left them empty. Tankers became a lifeline, but they couldn’t reach some neighbourhoods at all, including most of the city’s slums.
Why a flood-prone city went dry
Chennai had suffered terrible floods only a few years earlier. That’s the lesson: rain isn’t the only question, it’s what a city does with the rain. Analyses blamed mismanagement and unplanned building as well as poor monsoons. When wetlands and lakes are built over, there’s less room to hold rain and less water sinks into the ground.
What it teaches
- A dry spell becomes a crisis when a city has no reserve. Capture rain when it falls.
- Tankers are a stopgap, and they reach the poorest areas last.
- Reusing treated wastewater protects drinking water.
- At home, rooftop harvesting and careful storage buy time.
Sources
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