CHENNAI: Around 300 cusecs of Krishna Water was released from Kandaleru dam on Saturday as water levels in Somasila and Srisailam reservoir in Andhra Pradesh crossed the transferrable level.
This comes at a time when the combined storage levels at all four reservoirs feeding Chennai has dwindled to less than one tmcft which will be sufficient to cater to the city’s drinking water needs only for the next 40 days.
Officials from Water Resource Department (WRD) told Express that Krishna water will reach the Kandaleru-Poondi canal in Tiruvallur district in the next four to five days. “The current water level at Kandaleru reservoir is 9.16 tmcft. Due to southwest monsoon, the water level at the reservoir has increased. The remaining 700 cusecs or 60 mcft will be released by Andhra Pradesh government by October first week,” said a senior WRD official.
Initially, 200 cusecs was released from Krishna Canal in Kandaleru reservoir and the flow was gradually increased to 300 cusecs said Metrowater officials. “If we get the mandated two tmcft of Krishna water, it will suffice for the next two months. Due to tapping of water enroute from Andhra Pradesh, Krishna water that has been released now may take close to a week to reach the city,” said a senior Metrowater official.
As reservoir levels have been steadily depleting since May, the city is mainly dependent on northeast monsoon to avoid a water crisis. The release of Krishna water comes at a crucial time when water levels in the city’s reservoirs have been steadily declining. In June, levels were recorded to be 2.43 tmcft. In a month’s time, storage levels dipped to 1.79 tmcft with level standing at 950 mcft as of Saturday.