Chennai’s reservoirs currently hold 41.4% of their total capacity, supported by an inflow of 791 tmc from the Krishna River, which is enough to meet the city’s water needs.
Chennai’s drinking water reservoirs are seeing an increase in water levels due to heightened inflow from the Krishna River, according to a report by Daily Thanthi. The city’s main water sources—Poondi, Puzhal, Chembarambakkam, Cholavaram, and Kannankottai-Thervoy Kandigai—have a combined capacity of 11.757 tmc (thousand million cubic feet).
Under the water-sharing agreement, Andhra Pradesh is obligated to release a total of 12 tmc of water annually to Tamil Nadu’s Poondi reservoir—8 tmc from July to October and 4 tmc from January to April. The water that flows into Poondi is then redirected to other reservoirs like Chembarambakkam and Puzhal to supply Chennai.
This summer, Poondi experienced significant water depletion, leading Tamil Nadu officials to request water releases from the Kandaleru Dam in Andhra Pradesh. Since September 19, water has been released from Kandaleru to Poondi, starting at a rate of 500 cubic feet per second (cusecs), which was later increased to 1,000 cusecs.