Date:14/08/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/08/14/stories/2008081459581200.htm

Andhra Pradesh

Telugu Ganga water for Chennai from August 25

Special Correspondent

AP prepares working table to ensure supply till September-end

HYDERABAD: Water will be released to Chennai from Telugu Ganga canal project from August 25 this year.

A working table has been prepared by the Andhra Pradesh government to ensure flow in the Telugu Ganga towards Chennai till September-end without depending on rain.

This is because the Kandaleru reservoir, the immediate source of Telugu Ganga in Nellore district connected to Somasila and Srisailam projects, has storage of 36 tmcft as against its full capacity of 68 tmcft.

This is considered sufficient to fulfil the yearly commitment to Chennai.

Meeting held

The Tamil Nadu government indicated its preparedness to receive the Telugu Ganga water into the Poondi reservoir by that date, during discussions between officials of the two States held recently.

B.V.S. Prakasa Rao, engineer-in-chief, Telugu Ganga, said that once water was released into the Telugu Ganga, there would be effective flow this year as the entire 151-km long canal from Kandaleru to Poondi was lined now, except for a gap of a few kilometres. Works were on to remove the landslips that occurred to the bunds of the stretch of the canal in Tamil Nadu.

He said the highest quantity of water received by Tamil Nadu during any water year from Telugu Ganga was 6.5 tmcft.

Somasila project

“We are prepared to release a good quantity this year too. There is no problem,” he said. Somasila project which feeds Kandaleru, has storage of 30 tmcft (its full level 73 tmcft).

Kandaleru has already supplied 0.5 tmcft to the Tirupati city through a lift scheme.