Krishna Water Supply Resumes for Chennai From May 15

Officials of the Water Resources Department (WRD) said the resumed inflow is likely to strengthen the city's reservoir storage ahead of the peak summer demand period and help maintain comfortable drinking water reserves until the onset of the northeast monsoon later this year.

The Andhra Pradesh government had released Krishna water from the Kandaleru reservoir on February 25 as part of the ongoing second spell of water supply to Tamil Nadu. The water reached the Poondi reservoir on March 4 and continued to flow at an average rate of 300 to 400 cusecs before the supply was suspended on March 29 for maintenance.

According to WRD officials, Chennai has already received around 1.1 thousand million cubic feet (tmcft) of water during the current second spell.

Authorities expect the city to receive more than 1.5 tmcft by the end of June if the supply resumes as scheduled next week. Officials also anticipate uninterrupted discharge during the first spell of supply from July to October, which could significantly improve the city's water security.

Under the Krishna water-sharing agreement between Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh, the neighbouring state is required to supply 12 tmcft of water during the first spell every year. However, Chennai drew only 3.7 tmcft during the previous cycle because the city reservoirs had reached near-full capacity following the strong northeast monsoon in 2025.

During the current second spell, officials estimate that Chennai may receive around 3 to 4 tmcft in total. The WRD is also reviewing reservoir storage levels and assessing whether excess water may need to be shifted between reservoirs to optimise storage capacity and distribution.

As of Sunday, Chennai's six major reservoirs together held 8,226 million cubic feet (mcft) of water against their combined storage capacity of 13,222 mcft.

Chembarambakkam reservoir recorded the highest storage at 2,960 mcft, followed by Red Hills with 2,075 mcft and Poondi with 1,725 mcft. Kannankottai Thervoykandigai at 384 mcft, while Cholavaram had the lowest storage at 246 mcft. Veeranam reservoir, which also supports Chennai's drinking water supply, recorded a storage level of 836 mcft, ensuring sufficient water availability for the ongoing summer season.

- IANS