Lakes Chembarambakkam, Poondi, Red Hills and Cholavaram that supply water to Chennai are almost dry.

Slamming those "politicising" the severe water crisis in Tamil Nadu, state fisheries Minister D Jayakumar on Wednesday said the government has been making up for the deficit created by successive failed monsoons.

He maintained that the government would be able to manage the crisis until the northeast monsoon, which brings rains to the state between October and December.

"Despite failed monsoons, one should see how the government is handling the issue. Politicising it is not at all acceptable," Mr Jayakumar told reporters in Chennai.

Listing out various efforts taken by the government, he said around 400 water tankers were making 9,000 trips distributing water across Chennai.

"At a time when even nature is not offering a helping hand, we are pumping one tmc of water from Mettur to Veeranam lake, from where the water is channelised into the city," he said.

The minister said that the government would be able to meet the needs of the people till November and expressed confidence that the problem would be solved after the arrival of the northeast monsoon.

Deficit rainfall during the 2017 northeast monsoon and failed monsoon in 2018 has resulted in depletion of ground water levels and near drying up of major waterbodies, and has pushed residents at the mercy of water-tanker operators.

Four major lakes of Chembarambakkam, Poondi, Red Hills and Cholavaram that supply water to Chennai are almost dry.

Chief Minister K Palaniswami had said on Tuesday that drought and a deficient monsoon had resulted in depletion of groundwater levels, but that the issue was not as big as was being made out, especially in the media.