Veeranam Lake Storage Rises as WRD Seeks More Krishna Water for Chennai

The storage in Veeranam Lake, a vital drinking water source for Chennai, increased significantly by more than 100 million cubic feet (mcft) in two days following water release from the Mettur Dam. According to data from the Chennai Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (Metro Water), the reservoir's storage rose from 265 mcft on Wednesday to 375 mcft by Friday morning, boosting the city's water supply prospects.

Veeranam Lake received nearly 1,000 cusecs of inflow on Thursday and Friday, a major turnaround from Wednesday when there was no inflow recorded. While the lake's full capacity stands at 1,465 mcft, the current storage of 375 mcft will support Chennai's drinking water needs. The water treatment facility near the lake has a designed capacity to transmit 180 million litres per day (MLD) to the city.

While the Veeranam storage has improved, Chennai's water managers are facing challenges with the Krishna River water supply from Andhra Pradesh. Since May 25, the city has received approximately 1,000 mcft of Krishna water. However, the inflow received at the Zero Point on the Andhra Pradesh-Tamil Nadu border has recently dropped to less than 200 cusecs.

The current inflow is well below the 500 cusecs requested by the Water Resources Department (WRD). In response to the declining supply, the WRD has formally requested Andhra Pradesh state authorities to increase the water release. "We have once again requested the neighbouring state to ensure a flow of 500 cusecs," a WRD official stated.

Meanwhile, the combined storage of Chennai's five major reservoirs remains at about 47% of their total capacity. As of Friday, Poondi reservoir held 1,006 mcft, Cholavaram held 90 mcft, Red Hills held 1,685 mcft, Kannankottai-Thervoy Kandigai held 309 mcft, and Chembarambakkam held 2,528 mcft of water.