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CHENNAI: The Poondi reservoir has almost reached its maximum storage capacity for the second consecutive year.

As the flow into the reservoir from the Kandaleru reservoir in Andhra Pradesh has been steadily increasing, water is being diverted to the Red Hills reservoir since Saturday.

Though there was reserve space for about 500 million cubic feet of water, Public Works Department officials decided to transfer water, as the present level in the Poondi reservoir is just one foot short of the full capacity of 140 ft.

With the resumption of discharge from the Kandaleru reservoir about a week ago, Poondi has been receiving about 650 cubic feet per second on Sunday. A PWD official said that about 400 cusecs was diverted to the Red Hills reservoir, which has a reserve space for about one tmcft of water. The other two reservoirs would be filled up in a similar manner following the cessation of the northeast monsoon. The entry point at Uthukottai on the Tamil Nadu-Andhra Pradesh border had an inflow of about 730 cusecs on Sunday.

So far, Tamil Nadu has realised about 440 mcft, two weeks of water supply (at the rate of 650 million litres a day). The Poondi reservoir has realised about 100 mcft in a day, a heartening development, the official said. If the same amount continues to flow into the reservoir, about 3 tmcft is expected to be realised by February, the official added.

Chennai Metrowater and PWD have made arrangements to replenish city reservoirs to meet water demand in summer. The present storage in the reservoirs is adequate for supplying drinking water to the city for another year, he said.

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