Chennai: Andhra Pradesh has doubled its release of Krishna river water to Chennai to 450 cusecs despite holding relatively low reserves — 14tmcft, about a fifth of its 68.03tmcft capacity — giving the city a chance to boost its reservoirs before the northeast monsoon arrives, said a senior official with water resources department.The department expects to receive at least 2tmcft of Krishna water by the end of this month, well above what the city received during this period in past years. “This is the first time AP has released water despite having such low storage. If the requirement arises in the city, they can increase the outflow to 500 cusecs based on our request,” said the official.AP began releasing water from Kandaleru dam on Feb 25, which reached Poondi reservoir on March 4. The discharge was suspended on March 29 for maintenance work at water bodies in Andhra Pradesh, then resumed on May 15 at rate of 180-200 cusecs, which held steady until July 10. “Usually, they discharge around 2tmcft during the summer season in a spell between July and Oct,” he said. “However, we are expecting more than 2tmcft of Krishna water by the end of this month.”Water managers say this increase will help city and adjoining districts avoid drinking water scarcity in the summer. The city needs about 1tmcft of water each month. The increased discharge from Kandaleru dam could help increase storage to 7tmcft before the onset of northeast monsoon in Chennai’s reservoirs, officials said.
