The requirement for drinking water in the sprawling Chennai Metro City is being met through the opening of major water reservoirs in Poondi, Chozhavaram, Puzhal, Chemabaramabakkam (all near Chennai), and Veeranam in the Cuddalore district.
Currently, these reservoirs hold 7,496 million cubic feet (cft) of water, which accounts for 64% of their total capacity. To ensure there is no shortage of drinking water during the summer season, the "Telugu Ganga Scheme" is in operation, which involves releasing water from the Kandaleru Dam (located on the Krishna River) to the reservoirs in Chennai.
Since the summer season is already underway, the Department of Water Resources of the Tamil Nadu State Government has planned to raise the water level in these reservoirs to their full capacity, thereby increasing the current quantity of drinking water available. In order to accomplish this, they have requested the State Government of Andhra to open the Kandaleru Dam.
In response to this request, water was released from the Kandaleru Dam on May 1st. It is expected that the released water will reach the Thiruvallur District border, specifically Oothukkottai, within 1 or 2 days.