CHENNAI: Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay’s direct diplomacy seems to have borne fruit as the Andhra Pradesh government has agreed to release Krishna river water to Chennai over the next two months following his talks with Andhra Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, in Vijayawada on Tuesday.

The discussions focused on Chennai's drinking water requirements and the need to ensure the release of water under the existing arrangement between the two states. Raising the issue of Krishna water supply to Chennai, Vijay said the city's five primary water reservoirs had only around 35 per cent of their storage capacity available. This has put the city in a precarious position, especially due to above-normal heat.

He pointed out that Tamil Nadu had received only 2.25 TMC of Krishna water so far this year and urged Naidu to intervene personally to ensure the release of additional water to the State.

During the meeting, Vijay also emphasised the importance of the Godavari-Cauvery river-linking project, stating that interlinking the two major rivers would improve water availability in both the states.

In a statement, the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister urged Naidu to take up the proposed project, highlighting its potential benefits for agriculture and drinking water supply across the southern states.

Vijay recalled that he had already appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to declare the Godavari-Cauvery river-linking project a national project.

Incidentally, Vijay’s meeting with Naidu, a key constituent in the Centre-ruling NDA, came two days after Prime Minister Modi was in Chennai.

Tamil Nadu Ministers N Anand and Aadhav Arjuna, and Naidu’s son and Andhra Pradesh IT Minister Nara Lokesh participated in the events that were organised in connection with Vijay’s visit. Before the meeting, he offered prayers at the Kanaka Durga Temple in Vijayawada.