The Water Resources Department has suspended the release of water to other reservoirs in the city to step up Poondi reservoir’s storage.

The supply of Krishna water to Chennai is likely to continue till the onset of Northeast monsoon in October. This will ensure a steady and reliable drinking water distribution to the city this year.

In the past fortnight, the Poondi reservoir, city’s prime drinking water storage point, received around 800 million cubic feet (mcft) of Krishna water from Andhra Pradesh, increasing its storage to nearly 49%.

The Water Resources Department has suspended the release of water to other city reservoirs to step up Poondi reservoir’s storage. Among the city reservoirs, the one at Red Hills has been filled up to 87% of its storage capacity. Water would be transferred to other waterbodies, depending on the need.

At present, the five reservoirs, which are vital sources of drinking water to Chennai, have a combined storage of 6,923 mcft. This is nearly 59% of their total storage capacity. Yet, officials point out that the reservoirs have an additional storage of about 1,600 mcft compared to the same day last year.

Water discharge from Kandaleru reservoir has been increased to 2,180 cubic feet per second (cusecs) to enable better inflow into reservoirs here. “We are expecting the inflow into the entry point of Kandaleru Poondi canal to rise to 500 cusecs in a few days. Andhra Pradesh authorities have assured us of water supply for a few more months,” a WRD official said.

Chennai has received nearly 2,796 mcft of Krishna water in two spells since September last year. The department expects to receive another 2,000 mcft by July-end to boost the reservoirs’ storage.

“We have stepped up vigilance along the K.P. canal to check illegal withdrawal of water from the canal. Most of the instances of water theft have been curbed. We also inform Andhra Pradesh authorities of any such incidents in their jurisdiction,” the official said.

The reservoirs contribute a major share of the city’s drinking water supply with 745 million litres of water a day. Chennai Metrowater now provides nearly 1,045 mld through piped network and tankers.