Source : The Hindu Date : 08.07.2009

Water from Kandaleru reservoir may be delayed

K. Lakshmi

— File Photo

THICK WITH EXPECTATIONS: With the water level in the city reservoirs such as Red Hills on the decline, Chennai looks forward to early release of water from the Kandaleru reservoir.

CHENNAI: Release of water to the city from the Kandaleru reservoir is likely to be delayed as the Andhra Pradesh government has taken up repair works in the canal, according to officials of Tamil Nadu Water Resources Department (WRD).

They said that repair works were being carried out at 10 locations in the 152-km-long portion of the Kandaleru-Poondi Canal. The Tamil Nadu government wrote to the authorities concerned in the neighbouring State last month seeking release of the water from this month.

As the storage level now at Kandaleru reservoir was 23.5 thousand million cubic feet (tmcft), against its total capacity of 68 tmcft, there was sufficient resource to be discharged for city water supply, the officials said. A team of officials also plans to visit Andhra Pradesh in the coming weeks seeking release of water at the earliest, as the water level in the city reservoirs are declining.

In 2008-09, Chennai received 6.8 tmcft of water, the highest quantum released by Andhra Pradesh since implementation of the Krishna Water Supply Project in 1996, the officials said.

Chennai Metrowater officials, however, are confident that the drinking water supply to Chennai could be sustained with the resources available at the city reservoirs till October. A Metrowater official said that the combined storage level in the four reservoirs stood at 4,600 million cubic feet (mcft), as against the total capacity of 11,057 mcft. During the corresponding period last year, the storage level at the water bodies was 5,477 mcft. On an average, 45 mcft of water in the reservoirs was reduced daily because of drawal and evaporation loss, the official said.

With the Veeranam tank going bone dry, Metrowater has begun drawing 30-35 million litres of water daily (mld) from borewells in Neyveli to offset the supply. Water drawal from Chembarambakkam lake has been stepped up from 135 mld to 260 mld to compensate the loss of supply from Veeranam tank. Groundwater from Metrowater-owned well fields and southern aquifer was also being extracted to meet the city supply of 650 mld, the official said.

“We do not draw water from well fields and borewells in Neyveli regularly as it is stored for use during drought or whenever there is depletion of other resources,” the official added.

Alternative solution

Metrowater has also finalised tenders for hiring 180 private agricultural wells in places such as Poondi, Tamaraipakkam and Pullarambakkam in Tiruvallur district.

“We would make use of the wells only if there is undue delay in release of water from Kandaleru reservoir or failure of north-east monsoon,” said a senior official of Metrowater.

The groundwater from wells would be extracted from September onwards at Rs.25 per hour per well.