The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh / Hyderabad News : Tamil Nadu says ‘no’ to Telugu Ganga water offer

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Dec 05, 2007
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Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh - Hyderabad

Tamil Nadu says ‘no’ to Telugu Ganga water offer

M. Malleswara Rao

Canal had to be closed well in advance of the due date

Poondi reservoir lacks sufficient storage capacity
Tamil Nadu needs to increase the Poondi capacity

HYDERABAD: After the inauguration of the Telugu Ganga canal in 1996, the Tamil Nadu government almost fought with Andhra Pradesh every year to get water to Chennai.

The good monsoon this year has, however, changed the scenario. The Tamil Nadu government now says “no” to repeated offers made by Andhra Pradesh to take water. As a result, the canal had to be closed well in advance of the due date.

The A.P. government released water from the Kandaleru reservoir into Telugu Ganga in July, but closed the canal in mid-October — not because of any shortage of water but on repeated requests from the Tamil Nadu to stop the supply! One reason cited by A.P. officials for this “predicament in plenty” is that the Poondi reservoir, which receives the Telugu Ganga waters, lacks sufficient storage capacity to absorb further inflows. It can hold 2.7 tmcft only.

Officials say that Tamil Nadu needs to increase the Poondi capacity, or create new ones with sufficient capacity, to make the Telugu Ganga project meaningful. “At least, the distribution system in Chennai must be improved so that water is used simultaneously, as it comes from Telugu Ganga.

Also, the 24-km stretch of the canal in Tamil Nadu territory “is too narrow and suffers from low carrying capacity”.

During a bad monsoon, A.P. faced its own problems to support Telugu Ganga.

It supplies its own water in two spells annually to Chennai against the total commitment of 15 tmc ft to the mega city, without bothering to get five tmcft each from Maharashtra and Karnataka, in line with the inter-State agreement on Telugu Ganga.

Telugu Ganga, however, supplied five tmcft to Chennai on an average annually. The Tamil Nadu Government released its entire share (Rs. 512 crore) of Telugu Ganga cost.

Srisailam reservoir

The 408-km-long long Telugu Ganga originates from the Srisailam reservoir, passes through several balancing reservoirs, including Somasila and Kandaleru, before falling into Poondi.

The stretch relevant to Chennai, however, is about 150 km only -- from Kandaleru.

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