CHENNAI: Chennai Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (CMWSSB) managing director T. Anand on Tuesday inspected the Chembarambakkam water treatment plant and the abandoned stone quarries at Sikkarayapuram and Erumaiyur, which serve as emergency water sources for the city’s drinking water supply. During the inspection, he reviewed the functioning of the Chembarambakkam treatment plant, one of the key facilities supplying drinking water to Chennai. Water from the Chembarambakkam reservoir is drawn through an intake tower and conveyed to the treatment plant through twin 1,500-mm diameter mild steel transmission pipelines. CMWSSB has developed these quarries as alternative water sources by storing rainwater for use during emergencies to augment Chennai’s drinking water supply. The rainwater stored in the quarries is transported to the Chembarambakkam treatment plant through ductile iron (DI) and high-density polyethylene (HDPE) pipelines using high-capacity pumps and generator-backed infrastructure.