Water Resources Department Requests Increased Release of Krishna Water to Address Chennai’s Storage Deficit

The Water Resources Department (WRD) has urged the Andhra Pradesh government to enhance the volume of Krishna water being supplied to Chennai. The goal is to counterbalance the deficit in storage within the city’s reservoirs, which cater to its water supply requirements until the Northeast monsoon arrives. Currently, the five reservoirs, including Poondi and Red Hills, have a collective storage capacity of 58.4%, amounting to 11,757 million cubic feet (mcf).

According to WRD officials, the water inflow via the Kandaleru Poondi canal at Uthukottai dipped below 100 cubic feet per second (cusecs) last week. The existing storage in both city reservoirs and the Veeranam tank, which contributes to Chennai’s water needs, is projected to last for approximately six to seven months. The city is currently receiving a daily supply of 1,031.85 million liters of water, serving industrial and bulk consumers.

In the pursuit of maintaining balanced water storage until the Northeast monsoon, officials are advocating for an increased discharge to the Poondi reservoir. They propose that a discharge of 500 cusecs would result in 1,000 mcf reaching the Poondi reservoir over the course of a month.