The fifth reservoir in Thervoy Kandigai Kannankottai, Tiruvallur district, which was inaugurated in November last year, is brimming with water as it reached its full capacity on Wednesday for the first time.
The reservoir was created exclusively to store drinking water for Chennai’s needs. It was created 77 years after the Poondi reservoir was added as the city’s major water source in 1944.
Officials of the Water Resources Department said the fifth reservoir had touched its full capacity of 500 million cubic feet and continues to receive a minimum of five cusecs (cubic feet per second) of Krishna water from Andhra Pradesh. It is now being used as a buffer source as other reservoirs, too, have adequate storage for water distribution.
“Even before the inauguration, the waterbody in Thervoy Kandigai had storage due to rainwater inflow from catchment areas. While storage of about 200 mcft was built through floodwater runoff, Krishna water contributed to the remaining storage,” said an official.
When the storage in Poondi reservoir dips, the Chennai Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewage Board (CMWSSB) will draw water from Thervoy Kandigai and convey it to the Kandaleru Poondi (KP) canal through a pipeline. Water from there will flow into Poondi reservoir.
The State’s entry point of the KP canal in Uthukottai, Tiruvallur district, continued to receive a minimal amount (56 cusecs) of Krishna water.
Some of it is being conveyed to Poondi reservoir.
The confluence point of the canal and Poondi reservoir has now been secured with a compound wall to prevent the entry of cattle.
“Since September last year, Chennai has received 7.5 tmcft of water, which is the highest quantum in recent years. We have not asked to increase the amount for the current spell as the city’s reservoirs have adequate water to meet drinking water needs this summer,” the official added.
Moreover, work is in progress to repair the KP canal lining in vulnerable stretches for a distance of 8 km between Uthukottai and Poondi.
The ₹24.78 crore project will take two months to be completed. The department plans to seek more Krishna water after the work.
