Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay made a field inspection of Chembarambakkam Lake, one of Chennai’s main drinking-water reservoirs, on October 26, 2026. Officials explained how water reaches the lake from its catchment. The lake stood at 14.76 ft of its 24-ft full level, holding 1.488 TMC of its 3.645 TMC capacity.
Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay made a field inspection of Chembarambakkam Lake, one of Chennai’s main drinking-water reservoirs, on October 26, 2026. Officials explained how water reaches the lake from its catchment. The lake stood at 14.76 ft of its 24-ft full level, holding 1.488 TMC of its 3.645 TMC capacity.
With the northeast monsoon intensifying and Cyclone “Arnab” taking shape over the Bay of Bengal, Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay travelled from the Secretariat to Chembarambakkam Lake on Monday, October 26, 2026, to see the reservoir for himself. People gathered along the route to greet him.
The Chief Minister personally inspected the lake’s sluice outlets, the intake tower, the surplus weir and the bunds — the parts that control how water is let out of the lake and keep it safe in heavy rain.
Water Resources Department officials walked the Chief Minister through how water reaches Chembarambakkam from its catchment areas and from the chain of lakes and tanks upstream, and gave him a full overview of the reservoir. The visit is part of his close watch on the monsoon: he visited the Greater Chennai Corporation command centre on October 18 and reviewed readiness across the State at the Emergency Operations Centre in Ezhilagam on October 22.
| Measure | Figure |
|---|---|
| Water level | 14.76 ft of 24 ft |
| Storage | 1.488 TMC of 3.645 TMC (about 41%) |
| Inflow | 150 cusecs — all rain runoff |
| Outflow | 208 cusecs, mainly 176 cusecs for Chennai’s drinking water |
The lake has more than 2 TMC of room before it reaches full level, so it can take in a good share of the coming rain and add to Chennai’s drinking-water reserves.
Chembarambakkam, in Kancheepuram district on the western edge of Chennai, is one of the city’s most important drinking-water reservoirs. Watching its level closely during the monsoon helps officials plan releases in good time and keep people living downstream along the Adyar safe.
Emergency: 1070 (state), 1077 (district), 112. All helplines: Monsoon Help Centre ›
Northeast Monsoon Chembarambakkam Water Resources Cyclone Arnab Day 170