The Hindu : Tamil Nadu News : Supply from Kandaleru reservoir stopped

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Mar 11, 2005

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

Supply from Kandaleru reservoir stopped

By K. Lakshmi

CHENNAI, MARCH 10. The flow of Krishnawater, released from the Kandaleru reservoir under the Telugu Ganga Project, has stopped since Wednesday.

Last evening, it was a mere seven cubic feet per second (cusecs), according to readings taken at Zero Point on the Tamil Nadu-Andhra Pradesh border at Uthukottai, about 80 km from here.

Since the flow began on November 27 last, Tamil Nadu has realised 2.72 thousand million cubic feet of water (tmcft).

The declining storage in the reservoir is the reason attributed to the stoppage of supply. At present, it is 6.35 tmcft. Water can be released for Chennai only if the storage is 6.4 tmcft and above. Those who expected that the realisation would be at least three tmcft were disappointed at the development. However, there is consolation that such a quantum of water was realised in a short period.

This morning, Chennai's reservoirs — Red Hills, Cholavaram and Satyamurti Sagar at Poondi — had a combined storage of 2.3 tmcft.

"This year is better than the previous year. The situation can be managed till the oncoming monsoon," says a senior official of the Public Works Department. One hundred and fifty cusecs was being supplied from the Poondi reservoir to the Red Hills reservoir.

Even as Metrowater officials called it a comfortable year for drinking water supply, residents of several parts of Chennai complained of "inadequate and erratic" supply.

Residents' complaints

Parts of Villivakkam, Ayanavaram, West Mambalam, Vysarpadi, Park Town and Tiruvanmiyur are among the areas which experience "low pressure" in the pipeline. Residents of Tagore Nagar at Aynavaram and Konnur High Road said they had not received water through pipelines for several years. Tanker water was of poor quality.

A Metrowater official says low pressure occurred in the pipeline because of the present alternate day supply. When more water is drawn through hand pumps, the pipeline pressure decreases. Water is supplied through tankers to low-pressure areas.

Water was supplied for a shorter duration to houses in the tail-end. Metrowater says it is a cumbersome process to ensure even distribution in such cases. Steps are being taken to rectify the problem.

On "supply days", Metrowater provides about 500 million litres, of which 20 per cent is supplied through tankers to the tail-end areas. One hundred and eighty million litres a day is drawn from the Veeranam lake, which will sustain its supply till April.

Other sources, such as borewells in the Neyveli aquifer, will be used, "if necessary", apart from Metrowater-owned well fields and city reservoirs, says the Metrowater official.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Tamil Nadu

News Update

Stories in this Section

Supply from Kandaleru reservoir stopped

`Members will face drastic action if rules are flouted'

Prosecution plea on approver examination turned down again

Don't waste time replying to CPI (M) MLA: Jayalalithaa

After two years, samba procurement is back to normal

Enquiry into Veerappan killing: High Court raps Government

Schedule soon to fix photos on poll rolls

Smart rescue in simulated operation

`Government cannot decide on court language'

SHGs have Rs. 26 crores as savings: Collector

Varsity results

`Nanotechnology can help in treating chronic ailments'

Briefly