Telangana: Krishna water maybe delayed

Chennai: Water starved Chennaiites are the most recent victims of the Telangana protests.

Already under pressure to compensate for a thus far deficit northeast monsoon, the Telangana prot­e­sts have come as a double whammy to the city water managers as normal supply of Krishna water looks unlikely any time in the near future.

Repair of the Krishna canal which has been go­ing on for several mo­nths has made little headway. Senior state WRO (water resource organisation) so­u­r­ces revealed to Deccan Chronicle that completion of the much delayed repair of the Krishna canal at Ubbalamadugu in Andhra had been halted by the T-protests.

“Our Andhra counterparts are helpless. No one is working there, including officers, because of the Telengana protests,” said a senior WRO official, pointing out that works that could take another two months are still pending. Worse, city reservoirs in Chembarambakkam, Poo­ndi, Puzhal and Cholav­aram have only 3.69 tmcft (full storage capacity is 11.057 tmcft), which would last only for another four months.

Even if Andhra PWD officials were to oblige and supply water, the quantum of discharge from Kan­daleru to Chennai will not exceed 200 cusecs as the temporary canal constructed to convey water till the repair of the permanent canal gets over, might not withstand the pressure, said another WRO official.

Ironically, the Kandaleru reservoir in Andhra stored 35.42 tmcft as on Thursday. Water managers, who foresee a serious water crisis if the deficit is not made good in the rest of the monsoon season that ends late next month, are learnt to have briefed chief minister J. Jayalalithaa about the imp­ending crisis on Tuesday.

WRO and metro water offi­cials are still hopeful that heavy downpours in the late end of the monsoon will bail them out of acute water crisis next summer. “We will wait till the monsoon ends and then plan for the dog days,” WRO officials added.