Chennai set to receive Krishna water from Andhra Pradesh by May 9 amid ongoing supply efforts

According to officials from the Water Resources Department (WRD), the water released from the Kandaleru reservoir is likely to reach the Tamil Nadu border by Thursday evening or early Friday

Chennai: Chennai is expected to receive Krishna River water from Andhra Pradesh by the early hours of Friday, after a brief halt in supply due to repair work along the water canal.

According to officials from the Water Resources Department (WRD), the water released from the Kandaleru reservoir is likely to reach the Tamil Nadu border by Thursday evening or early Friday.

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The supply was temporarily suspended by Andhra Pradesh authorities to carry out repair work on the sluice gate of the Kandaleru-Poondi (KP) canal near Kalahasti.

Krishna river is a crucial source for Chennai, particularly during peak summer months when demand for drinking water surges. The Poondi reservoir in Tiruvallur district, which stores Krishna water before transferring it to the Red Hills reservoir for city supply, had stopped receiving inflows from April 24.

However, WRD officials confirmed that Andhra Pradesh resumed water release earlier this week as committed. The Kandaleru reservoir currently holds nearly 44,000 thousand million cubic feet of water.

On Wednesday, the water discharge was increased to 1,170 cubic feet per second (cusecs) to ensure steady flow. “The canal bed is dry, causing slower water movement. Currently, water has reached the 70-km mark between Venkatagiri and Kalahasti and must travel another 82 km to reach the Tamil Nadu border at Uthukottai,” a senior WRD official said.

Andhra Pradesh authorities have assured Tamil Nadu that they will increase the discharge further to speed up the flow. The water released through the KP canal also caters to drinking and irrigation needs in Tirupati and Kalahasti before reaching Chennai.

The WRD estimates that about 500 cusecs will be received at the zero point of the KP canal at Uthukottai. Since March 29, Krishna water has added 600 million cubic feet (mcft) to Chennai’s reservoirs, boosting their storage capacity for nearly a month.

The WRD expects to continue receiving supplies until the end of June, helping fill key water bodies and maintain daily supply. Currently, Chennai Metrowater is supplying 1,087 million litres of water per day.

The five reservoirs in Tiruvallur district, which provide most of the city’s drinking water, are at 64.4 per cent of their combined total capacity of 11,757 mcft. The Veeranam tank in Cuddalore district is also supplementing the city’s water distribution.