Metrowater authorities had sought the WRD to discharge an additional 500 cusecs of water along with releases being made for various combined drinking water schemes in districts, including Tiruchi and Erode. (File)
| Photo Credit: S.S. KUMAR
Chennai Metrowater has sought an additional release of water from the Mettur dam to boost storage in the Veeranam tank and strengthen the city’s drinking water supply. The move comes amid the need to maintain adequate water reserves for Chennai.The Veeranam tank in Cuddalore district has only 15% storage against its full capacity of 1,465 million cubic feet. It continues to supply 179 million litres per day (mld) of water to supplement Chennai’s total drinking water supply of 1,245 mld.With storage in Chennai’s major reservoirs declining and awaiting replenishment, Metrowater authorities had asked the Water Resources Department (WRD) to discharge an additional 500 cubic feet per second (cusecs) of water along with releases being made for various combined drinking water schemes in districts, including Tiruchi and Erode.A Government Order had also been issued approving the additional release until the end of September to step up storage at Veeranam, one of the key water sources for Chennai. Water is expected to reach the tank by the first week of September, said Metrowater officials.At present, the water released from Mettur dam is in its final stretch of 27 km before flowing into the tank. The Vadavar channel is expected to bring an inflow of at least 100 cusecs of water to the tank and help balance inflow and withdrawal.A recent rain spell in catchment areas, including Cuddalore and Ariyalur, brought an inflow of about 170 cusecs into the tank, helping to arrest the decline in water level, officials said. The inflow is expected to increase further when water is released for Cauvery delta irrigation from September 1. “We are also preparing to draw about 40 mld from the Paravanar channel region as part of contingency plans,” said an official.Meanwhile, the Kandaleru-Poondi canal at the State border at Tiruvallur district, continues to receive nearly 410 cusecs of Krishna water from Andhra Pradesh. These measures would help enhance water availability in the city’s major reservoirs, which have a combined storage of 45% of their capacity, until the onset of Northeast monsoon, officials added. Published - August 30, 2026 05:00 am IST
