Finally, Krishna water reaches Poondi reservoir

According to officials, the Krishna water on Saturday reached zero point near Uthukottai and it was expected to flow into Poondi reservoir on Sunday evening. Officials added that the level of inflow was 75 cusescs and Andhra Pradesh Irrigation Department continuously released 1,700 cusecs and monitored the canal to curb water theft. “Unlike in the past, we can observe good flow in the canal. If this continues without interruptions in the coming days, the reservoir will fill up fast and we can mitigate the drinking water supply in Chennai city by and large,” said a PWD engineer. 

“We are hopeful that the AP officials would increase the quantum of Krishna water release soon,” the official added. Another engineer said that the storage level at the reservoir on Sunday morning was 17.15 feet against its maximum capacity of 35 feet. “Water to Red Hills lake was released through baby canal. Since the level is considerably low, water is not being released through link canal,” he said. It may be noted that after TN PWD officials wrote a letter to the AP irrigation officials on water shortage a week ago, the AP government swiftly took action and closed sluices in the canal, as they suspected farmers in large number were stealing water for irrigation. Meanwhile, the Chennai metro water department is pinning its hope on Krishna water supply to tackle drinking water scarcity in the city to some extent.