CHENNAI: Amid El Nino conditions, the storage in Chennai’s drinking water reservoirs has fallen to a worrying level, with the combined storage in the city’s six major reservoirs standing at just 37.9% of their total capacity as on Tuesday.
The six reservoirs together have a capacity of 13.21 tmcft, against which only 5.01 tmcft of water is currently available. The storage level is the second-lowest recorded for the period in the last five years.
The situation was considerably better during the same period last year, when the reservoirs held 9.09 tmcft, or 68.8% of their total capacity.
In 2024, the storage stood at 4.49 tmcft (34%), while it was well placed at 9.09 tmcft (68.8%) in 2023 and 8.27 tmcft (62.6%) in 2022.
The current storage is only marginally higher than the level recorded in 2024. The sharp decline compared to last year has raised concerns over water availability in the coming months, particularly if the northeast monsoon fails to replenish the reservoirs adequately.
A senior water resources department (WRD) official told TNIE that the storage in key reservoirs had dropped sharply. “Poondi, one of the key drinking water reservoirs, has 30.4% storage against its capacity of 3.23 tmcft. The situation in Cholavaram is even worse, with the reservoir holding only 12.6% against its capacity of 1.08 tmcft,” the official said.
Meanwhile, Tamil Nadu has received 2.25 tmcft of Krishna water from Andhra Pradesh so far, compared to 2.29 tmcft during the corresponding period last year.
Though the water release has remained normal, the state is facing water stress due to the failure of the southwest monsoon and increased evaporation caused by prolonged summer, the official added.
With the northeast monsoon expected to play a crucial role in replenishing the reservoirs, officials are monitoring the storage. Any delay or deficiency could put further pressure on Chennai’s water sources.