CHENNAI: With Andhra Pradesh beginning to release water from the Somasila dam to the Kandaleru reservoir, Chennai is likely to receive Krishna water in two weeks.

Talking to The Hindu over phone on Friday, Andhra Pradesh Irrigation Minister P. Lakshmaiah said: "We plan to begin the release from Kandaleru by October 5 or 6. As reservoirs in Srikalahasti and Tirupati towns are empty [and will be filled first], water will start flowing into Tamil Nadu by October 15 or 16."

On Friday, the storage in Kandaleru was six thousand million cubic feet (tmcft). It was receiving inflow at the rate of 2,650 cubic feet per second (cusecs). "Once it touches eight tmcft, release of water from Kandaleru will begin," he said. Somasila had 30 tmcft water. While the inflow was 6,535 cusecs of water, the discharge, meant for Kandaleru, was 6,100 cusecs. News of the Krishna water supply comes at a time when the northeast monsoon is expected to set in around October 20, with a deviation of seven days.

The storage in Chennai's reservoirs will last only three weeks if the city does not receive rain in the coming weeks. On Friday morning, the combined storage in Satyamurthi Sagar at Poondi and Red Hills was 420 million cubic feet (mcft). What has come as a relief to water managers is the availability of Veeranam water. The Veeranam tank has one tmcft water and is receiving an inflow of 1,550 cusecs.

As the Mettur dam, which reaches water to the tank, is more or less full, the supply will be sustained. Last week, the city's catchments received moderate rain. But this did not result in any flow into the reservoirs.

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