Many localities in Chennai, falling under seven zones of the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) and parts of the Tambaram Corporation, will not receive piped water supply from 8 a.m. on July 30 to 10 p.m. on August 1. Water distribution through pipelines will be stopped to facilitate work to connect the second pipeline from the Chembarambakkam treatment plant with the existing network.

Areas under Zone 7 (Ambattur), Zone 8 (Anna Nagar), Zone 9 (Teynampet), Zone 10 (Kodambakkam), Zone 11 (Valasaravakkam), Zone 12 (Alandur), and Zone 13 (Adyar) and some localities under the Tambaram Corporation will not receive piped water supply for three days.

The ₹66.78-crore project to lay a 2,000-mm diameter pipeline from the Chembarambakkam treatment plant, which has a capacity to treat 530 million litres of water per day (mld), is being executed in two parts.

The first portion of the pipeline will cover 11.7 km from Chembarambakkam to Porur and will be interconnected with a water supply network to Tambaram. The second portion will run 9.2 km from the Poonamallee Bypass Road junction to Koyambedu.

This project will enable the operation of the plant to its full capacity of 530 mld instead of the current supply of 265 mld and provide improved water supply to Chennai.

Chennai Metrowater has asked residents to store water in advance and seek mobile water supply through an online service in case of emergency needs. However, free water supply to street tanks and through tankers will be maintained, said a press release.