Release water from Srisailam, Jaya asks Andhra CM

Due to the critical water crisis in Chennai, Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalithaa has requested the chief minister of Andhra Pradesh, YS Rajasekhara Reddy, to give instructions to open the TGP Canal from Srisailam headworks.

In a letter to Y S Rajasekhara Reddy, Jayalalithaa has requested this so that adequate water can be realised at Somasila, from where it will be channelled to Kandaleru, which in turn supplies to Chennai.

"I understand that due to the copious inflow of water into the Srisailam reservoir, the storage of water available in Srisailam reservoir has been built up. The government of Andhra Pradesh is to deliver 12 tmc ft of water annually at the rate of 8 tmc ft from July to October and 4 tmc ft from January to April at Zero Point as per the agreement to meet the drinking water needs of the Chennai city."

The city has been reeling under an unprecedented water crisis due to the failure of the last north-east monsoon in the catchment areas of the three city water supply reservoirs supplying water to Chennai.