Chennai, June 20 (IANS) Chennai’s drinking water reserves have received a significant boost with continued inflows of Krishna River water from Andhra Pradesh’s Kandaleru reservoir, helping improve storage levels in the city’s key water bodies amid rising summer demand.

Poondi reservoir, one of Chennai’s principal sources of drinking water, has been receiving Krishna water under the inter-state water-sharing agreement between Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh. Built in 1944 in the Poondi taluk of Tiruvallur district, the reservoir plays a crucial role in meeting the water needs of the Chennai metropolitan region.

With soaring temperatures leading to a sharp increase in water consumption, storage levels in major drinking water reservoirs, including Poondi and Puzhal, had declined rapidly in recent months.

To address the situation, the Tamil Nadu government requested the Andhra Pradesh government to release Krishna water from the Kandaleru reservoir.

Following the request, Andhra Pradesh began releasing water on May 23. Since then, surplus water left after meeting farmers’ irrigation requirements in Andhra Pradesh has been flowing into Tamil Nadu through the Krishna water supply system.

Officials said that as of Saturday morning, around 285 cubic feet per second (cusecs) of water was flowing into the Poondi reservoir. The continued inflow has improved storage levels and enabled authorities to transfer water to other reservoirs serving Chennai.

In a key development, water managers have begun releasing 250 cusecs from Poondi reservoir to Puzhal reservoir, another major source of drinking water for the city. Puzhal reservoir has a total storage capacity of 3,300 million cubic feet (mcft).

According to officials, the reservoir currently holds more than 1,642 mcft of water, and the storage level has been rising steadily due to the recent inflow from Poondi. The increase is expected to enhance Chennai’s water security during the peak summer season.

To meet the city’s daily drinking water requirements, authorities are currently drawing and supplying around 183 cusecs of water from the Puzhal reservoir.

Water resources officials said sustained inflows from the Krishna river system have helped stabilise reservoir levels and improve overall drinking water availability. The rising storage in Puzhal and other reservoirs is expected to provide considerable relief to Chennai residents and strengthen the city’s preparedness to meet water demand in the coming weeks.

–IANS

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