Low storage level in Kandaleru dam delays flow of Krishna water to Chennai
With SW monsoon starting, WRD expects water to reach Chennai by next month
Brimming Kandaleru reservoir in Andhra Pradesh which normally feeds Krishna water to Chennai city (file photo)
CHENNAI: With storage levels in major reservoirs including the Kandaleru dam reducing, the Krishna water flow to Chennai has been delayed by the Andhra Pradesh government.
The Water Resources Department (WRD) hopes the flow of Krishna water to resume at least by July as it expects the water storage level in Kandaleru dam to increase as the southwest monsoon has commenced.
“The Krishna water expected to reach in April has been delayed due to insufficient water storage at Kandaleru in Andhra Pradesh. They are dependent on southwest monsoon spells and only then the reservoir will reach minimum storage capacity. Later, the water will be released for Tamil Nadu. We have been giving continuous requests to the AP government to release water at the earliest,” a senior WRD official told DT Next. As the southwest monsoon has been favourable for Tamil Nadu and neighbouring states, intense spells are expected to continue in the coming days.
The official mentioned that there are chances for the AP government to release Krishna water from June 15 since there has been heavy rain for the last few days.
As per the agreement, the Andhra Pradesh government should release 12 TMC of Krishna water, however only 8 TMC of water is discharged to Tamil Nadu. This was due to copious rainfall during the northeast monsoon in Tamil Nadu and lesser rain in Andhra Pradesh.
“Usually, we receive the first spell of Krishna water from July to October and the second spell between January and April. However, since we had sufficient water storage in the major reservoirs we requested the government not to release Krishna water during that time,” added the official.
If there was no Krishna water discharged for Chennai, it was still manageable as there were excess spells during the northeast monsoon last season.
On the other hand, even if the monsoon for Tamil Nadu was a failure, the WRD and Chennai Metro Water Board have plans to ensure there was no drinking water crisis as they could manage through desalination plants in the city.