The A.P. Government will soon release 3.33 tmcft Krishna water as its share to Tamil Nadu to meet the drinking water needs of Chennai city.
A.P. Water Resources Department Principal Secretary Shashi Bhushan Kumar issued an order permitting the NTR Telugu Ganga Project Chief Engineer to release 3.33 tmcft from the Kandaleru Reservoir to Poondi Reservoir for supply of drinking water to Chennai.
Five tmcft was released to TN by the undivided AP. But after bifurcation, the share of A.P. was just 3.33 tmcft. The remaining 1.77 tmcft should be given by Telangana.
The Krishna River Management Board (KRMB), the statutory body created under the provisions of the Andhra Pradesh Re-organisation Act, has been entrusted with the onerous duty of apportioning the Krishna water between A.P. and Telangana. A stretch of the river is common to both the States. A three-member committee of the board, which met earlier this week, allocated 60 tmcft to A.P. and 50 tmcft to Telangana as per the 66:34 ratio respectively as stipulated in the Act.
A.P. released water following the request of the Chief Engineer of the neighbouring State.
The Chief Engineer, in a latter, said that the four reservoirs that supplied water to Chennai city were only 46% full because of severe deficit in rainfall during the North-East monsoon.
