The Hindu       06.08.2014

Krishna water arrives in city

Krishna water, considered a lifeline to maintain the water supply for Chennai, reached the city on Tuesday morning.

Water released from Kandaleru reservoir, Andhra Pradesh, on August 1 reached Uthukottai at the Tamil Nadu border at 6 a.m., after travelling over 150 km of Kandaleru Poondi canal. By evening, it travelled another 25 km to reach Poondi reservoir, where it will be stored and distributed to the city.

The entry point received about 190 cubic feet per second. “We expect to get 300 cusecs this week, which is enough to fulfil the city’s drinking water needs. If we get 500 cusecs daily, we can store 1,200 mcft (million cubic feet) monthly, and that is adequate to supply water for more than a month,” said an official of the Water Resources Department.

As storage in city reservoirs hit a low of 1,800 mcft, just enough to sustain water supply for two months, Krishna water was the last resort to avoid a severe shortage.

Officials of Chennai Metrowater said they would start transferring the water to Chembarambakkam and Red Hills reservoirs for supply to the city. Nearly two-thirds of the supply now comes from Veeranam tank and desalination plants.

By Tuesday evening, it reached Poondi reservoir, where it will be stored and distributed to city.