The five-member committee of the Krishna River Management Board (KRMB) is scheduled to meet on July 22 to discuss supply and augmentation of drinking water to Chennai. The committee's meeting will be held through a video conferencing facility.
According to information, the committee will discuss a proposal to lay a pipeline to supply water to Chennai. The Tamil Nadu government is proposing laying of a pipeline from the Srisailam reservoir or the Somasila reservoir or from the Kandaleru reservoir to Tamil Nadu border. These three concept notes are under consideration of the Tamil Nadu government, which informed the board at the third meeting.
Agenda
The committee' s agenda includes ensuring drinking water supply to Chennai as per the inter-State agreement on top priority when the Kandaleru reservoir is adequate. The efficiency of conveyance may be improved and the lesser realisation due to intermediate drawals and unauthorised tapping of water may be avoided by insisting on better vigil on conveyance in Andhra Pradesh limits of the Kandaleru-Poondi canal, say the sources.
Currently, the water is diverted by an open canal from the Kandaleru reservoir in Andhra Pradesh to Chennai's reservoirs. As per the Telugu Ganga project, started in the 1980s, Andhra Pradesh has to provide 12 Thousand Million Cubic Feet (tmcft) annually to meet Chennai’s drinking water needs.
The committee will also deliberate on working out plans by Andhra Pradesh and Telangana state for water withdrawals for the current year, that may include water release to Chennai city as per the agreement.
The committee at its previous meeting has planned to establish a mechanism in consultation with the upper states to measure releases from the upper states to find en route losses and realisation at Srisailam for water accounting. The committee will discuss action taken so far, sources say.
As per the Bachawat Award, Chennai is entitled to 15 tmcft. Of this, 10 tmcft of water has to be released by Maharashtra and Karnataka which they have not been doing and as a result, Chennai has been getting about three to four tmcft through the Telugu Ganga Project. Subsequently, Tamil Nadu government brought the issue to the notice of the Union government, which in turn formed the committee to iron out the issues.