Chennai: Even as the city's thirst is being quenched by transporting potable water by train from Jolarpettai, the Chennai Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (Chennai Metro Water) is seeking water from the moon.
Congratulating the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) for successfully putting into orbit the Chandrayaan-2 spacecraft, Chennai Metro Water tweeted: "Congrats @isro for #Chandrayaan2theMoon. We are in the process of augmenting new water resources for our city. If you find any water on the Moon, you know whom to call first. May the Science be with you!"
On Monday, ISRO's rocket Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle Mark III (GSLV-Mk III) put into orbit the Chandrayaan-2 spacecraft.
The Indian space agency plans to land its lander Vikram on the moon and also remotely ply its rover Pragyan on the lunar surface.
One of the purposes of this mission is to find the presence of water on the moon.
Currently, Chennai Metro Water supplies about 525 million litres per day (MLD) in the state capital.
The water from Jolarpettai will augment the existing supply.
While the Cholavaram reservoir with a capacity 1,081 million cubic feet (mcft), the Redhills reservoir (3,300 mcft) and the Chembarambakkam lake (3,645 mcft) that supply water to Chennai have run dry, 16 mcft water is remaining in the Poondi reservoir (against a full capacity of 3,231 mcft), according to the Chennai Metro Water.