அளவிற்கு அதிகமான நிலத்தடி நீரை உறிஞ்சி எடுப்பதால் தான் நன்னீர் கிடைப்பதில்லை. உண்மையை வெளிக்கொணர்ந்த டைம்ஸ் ஆப் இந்தியா. இதன் மூலம் தாது மணலுக்கும், வைகுண்டராஜன் மற்றும் விவி மினரல் நிறுவனத்திற்கும் எதிராக வேண்டும் என்றே ஊடகங்களாலும், போட்டியாளர்களாலும் பொய் பிரச்சாரம் செய்யப்பட்டுள்ளது என்பது நிரூபிக்கப்படுகிறது.
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Incursion of seawater into over-exploited aquifer robs ECR residents of fresh water

The 20km-long southern coastal aquifer is a potential source of fresh water for local residents, but extraction of water from the interface zone, that comes below the fresh water zone, has made way for seawater. The result? Residents sinking borewells are drawing up saline water every day.Hydrogeologist J Saravanan said the aquifer was one of the healthiest in the suburbs. “But due to rapid urbanisation, groundwater is being extracted from the fresh water zone (and beyond). This aquifer runs parallel to the Buckingham Canal which carries only saline water. This could have probably led to seawater intrusion in several localities on the East Coast Road,” he said.
The aquifer is sandy in nature and gets replenished the during monsoon. “With the surface covered by concrete structures, the natural process of water recharge has been hindered,” Saravanan added.
Residents of East Coast Road said seawater intrusion affected the quality of groundwater. Reverse osmosis units have become common in many houses. Siva, president of Kapaleeswarar Nagar Residents Welfare Association at Neelankarai, said the total dissolved solids (TDS) in the groundwater have increased from 150 TDS to 800 TDS in the past five years in their locality. Siva said Metrowater too was drawing groundwater for supplying drinking in the neighbourhood. The association gets the water tested every month at a laboratory.
“We have already been hit by this over exploitation with all the 5000-odd residents in the area being forced to depend on water purifiers while using the groundwater,” he said.
Saravanan said water bodies along the East Coast Road should be conserved as they would act as a barrier against sea water intrusion. That will ensure that the groundwater gets recharged during monsoon, he said.