T.N. to seek Krishna water from May

‘Repair work on Kandaleru-Poondi canal is on’

Comfortable storage: Water is being diverted from Poondi reservoir to Red Hills and Chembarambakkam.

The Water Resources Department is planning to make a representation to Andhra Pradesh to release Krishna water to Chennai in the first week of May.

The five reservoirs, which supply water to the city, have storage of 9.33 tmcft as against their capacity of 11.75 tmcft.

With mercury level peaking in the last few days, the reservoirs, particularly in Red Hills and Chembarambakkam, are losing about 40 mcft of water daily to evaporation. However, officials said there was sufficient storage to cater to the city’s requirement this summer. Moreover, work was in progress to repair vulnerable portions of the Kandaleru-Poondi canal in the State limits.

Share of water

“We plan to write to Andhra Pradesh authorities this month on water release due for the current spell. We will discuss the share of Krishna water due to Chennai,” said an official.

Water is being diverted from Poondi reservoir to Red Hills and Chembarambakkam. Nearly 550 million litres of water a day is drawn from these two reservoirs. On average, the Chennai Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (CMWSSB) supplies about 830 million litres of water daily to the city.

Tamil Nadu received nearly 8.98 tmcft of Krishna water in two spells since May last, one of the highest quantum of water released since 2011, the officials said.