After a brief gap, supply of Krishna water from Andhra Pradesh to Chennai has resumed, bringing some relief to the metro’s water managers.
With the northeast monsoon remaining subdued for several days now, the lack of rainfall has taken a toll on the already plunging water levels in the four reservoirs, which primarily cater to the Chennai’s drinking water supply. This has caused concern among residents about a drought-like situation looming over the city.
As on Thursday, the reservoirs in Poondi, Red Hills, Cholavaram and Chembarambakkam have a combined storage of less than 10 per cent, good enough to last for about a month.
Since Wednesday, water discharge from Kandaleru reservoir has been increased to ensure water to Chennai. However, the entry point of the Kandaleru Poondi canal in Tamil Nadu limits has received a negligible 20 cubic feet per second on Thursday. An official of the Water Resources Department said: “Water released into KP canal will also be used for irrigation needs of Andhra Pradesh and drinking water supply of Tirupati and Kalahasti before reaching Chennai. We are hoping that water release will be stepped up in the next few days.”
Sources in the Chennai Metrowater said: “The city continues to be supplied with about 810-830 million litres of water a day (mld). The demand for lorry trips has not increased so far. We may decide on reducing the water supply depending on the water availability.”
Another ray of hope is the steady increase in the storage of Veeranam tank in Cuddalore district, which augments the water supply to the city.
