Thanks to copious inflows into the major reservoirs in the Penna basin, the Andhra Pradesh government released 5.53 tmcft of water to Chennai during 2021-22.
This came close on the heels of the release of a record 8.116 tmcft of water to the metropolis in the previous year after several decades with Somasila and Kandaleru reservoirs getting good inflows thanks to floods in several spells in the Krishna.
Handing over on Monday a cheque for ₹50 croreas part payment towards Tamil Nadu’s share of the cost of maintenance of the Satya Sai Ganga canal which carries Krishna water to Poondi reservoir, Tamil Nadu Water Resources Department Chief Engineer Muralidharan Gangadharan urged his Telugu Ganga Project (TGP) counterpart K. Harinarayana Reddy to restart release of Krishna water to Chennai from April, according to an official release.
Water supply to Chennai had been suspended on December 7, 2021 in the wake of the neighbouring State getting pounded by heavy rains and its reservoirs getting comfortable storage.
The CE said that the Andhra Pradesh government would consider the neighbouring State’s plea for resumption of drinking water supply depending upon the water availability in the future.
As per the agreement among the riparian States of undivided Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu had to give as its share ₹1,200.48 crore during 2020. After spells of part payment in spells, Tamil Naduwas yetto clear ₹288.48 crore.
TGP Superintending Engineer D. Ramagopal, TGP Deputy Chief Engineer M.C. Reddiah Raju and Executive Engineer M. Subramanium from Andhra Pradesh and Krishna Water Supply Division Executive Engineer N. Tilaikarasi, KWS Division Assistant Executive Engineer Shanmugha Sundaram and KWSP Division Assistant Executive Engineer Palanikumar were present on the occasion.
