Andhra Pradesh has informed Tamil Nadu that it will start supplying Krishna water in September.
As per the 1983 agreement between the States, Andhra Pradesh is to supply water from July. But, it had expressed its inability as canal repair works were under way.
A couple of weeks ago, officials of the Water Resources Department (WRD) of Tamil Nadu visited Andhra Pradesh and pressed their counterparts to commence the supply at least from August. However, AP Irrigation officials told them that they would be able to supply the water from September.
The storage in the Kandaleru reservoir, the terminal storage point in Andhra Pradesh and from where the supply is effected for Tamil Nadu, is around 18.35 thousand million cubic feet (tmc ft).
Last year too, Krishna water was supplied to Tamil Nadu from September to December in the first spell. Between September 15, 2009 and December 20, 2009, 4.145 tmc ft of water was realised. In the second spell, the State got 2.871 tmc ft during February 2-April 3, 2010.
Totally, 7.016 tmc ft was realised. [As per the agreement, Tamil Nadu is to get a net quantity of 12 tmc ft in a water year]. As on date, the combined storage of reservoirs catering to Chennai water supply – Satyamurti Sagar in Poondi, Cholavaram, Red Hills and Chembarampakkam – stood at 4.275 tmc ft, against the total combined capacity of 11.057 tmc ft.
