Lakes near-full, Krishna water inflow to be stopped

CHENNAI: As the major reservoirs that supply water to the city have 90 per cent storage thanks to the copious inflow of Krishna water in 2022, the Water Resources Department (WRD) has requested the Andhra Pradesh government to stop the supply to Chennai. The discharge is expected to be suspended by this week, said officials.

Earlier, the inflow was stepped down in September when the city reservoirs reached full capacity due to intense southwest monsoon spell. So far, the State has received around 3 thousand million (TMC) cubic feet water from Krishna river since the discharge commenced in May. “Though 12 – 15 TMC should be given to Chennai as per agreement, we requested reduction in discharge due to healthy storage,” said a senior WRD official.

The present inflow is about 500 cubic feet per second (cusec), which would be gradually reduced to 100-300 cusecs, before finally stopping in two-three days, the official said.

Noting that the reservoirs have a cumulative storage of 10 TMC as against their capacity of 11 TMC, the official assured that there would not be any water shortage during summer this year. But if required, the department would request the neighbouring State to release more water, he added.

After the supply comes to a close, the department would undertake maintenance of the canals carrying the water. “Several works, including desilting, lining and repair works, will be resumed from next week,” said another WRD official.