Chennai city, which has been grappling with severe drinking water shortage, can be assured of its full quota of Krishna water from Andhra Pradesh this season, as major reservoirs in Nellore district have comfortable storage this year.
Kandaleru reservoir, which augments drinking water supply to the metropolis, has built up a healthy storage of over 40.82 tmcft water with the Krishna in spate in several spells.
“There will be no hitch in ensuring Chennai’s quota of 12 tmcft water in two spells ahead of the 2020 summer,” said sources in the Telugu Ganga project.
Cities and towns dependent on the reservoirs in Nellore district for drinking water supply, which included Nellore and Tirupati, Srikalahasti, Venkatagiri and Kavali, will have no problem in ensuring the precious liquid, as Somasila reservoir, which replenishes water to Kandaleru, is now full to its capacity.
The district as a whole now has a combined storage of 119.56 tmcft of water including 74.62 tmcft of water in Somasila, which gets replenishment from Kundu and Krishna rivers, said Nellore Circle Superintending Engineer B.S.V. Prasada Rao after taking stock of the water availability.
Two crops
“We will have no problem in ensuring water to grow two crops under the Penna, Somasila, Kandaleru irrigation systems,” Mr. Rao told The Hindu .
With the release of more than 1 tmcft water each day from Somasila to Kandeleru reservoir, the latter could be expected to reach surplus in a month or so, he said.
The discharge from Kandaleru reservoir, which still had a flood cushion of 27.21 tmcft was maintained at 3,566 cusecs of water.
Farmers happy
Meanwhile farm activity picked up in 8 lakh acres in the district after a long gap.
The farmers in the district are a happier lot as they will also be able to go for a second crop without any hitch during coming summer. The district, which had been in the grip of drought in the previous TDP regime, is all set to receive fresh downpour in the wake of a new weather system developing in the Bay of Bengal this week.
