AP agrees to release Krishna waters for TN

Hyderabad, Aug 5: Announcing the release of Krishna water to Chennai from August 15, the Andhra Pradesh Government today made it clear that checking dams across the river Palar was very much needed to meet the drinking water demand of drought-prone Chittoor.

Agreeing to suspend the lining works going between Kandeluru and Poondi, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy assured, to a delegation led by Tamil Nadu Minister M K Stalin and Public Works Minister K Ponmudi, that supply of sufficient water in Kandaleru and Somasila to meet on time the drinking water requirement of the burgeoning metropolis.

Addressing a joint press conference along with the Tamil Nadu Ministers, Dr Reddy said 'we will meet the commitment by providing drinking water to Chennai.

The Tamil Nadu delegation pleaded for an early water release as the storage in reservoirs catering to Chennai would last for only one month.

On Tamil Nadu's request for shelving of the proposed check dams across the Palar river which cater to the drinking water needs of North Tamil Nadu and Kalpakkam Atomic Power Station, Dr Reddy pointed out that the drinking water needs of drought-prone Chittoor district would have to be met.

Assuring the delegation that Andhra Pradesh would not do anything illegal or irrational he said, 'the proposal is under investigation stage now and we will send you the project design'.

Andhra Pradesh planned to use only 0.6 tmc Palar water, he added.

It may be recalled that the Tamil Nadu Government was planning to file an expedition petition to take up the civil suit filed by it, seeking directions from the Supreme Court to restrain the Andhra Pradesh Government from constructing check dams across the Palar river, which cater to the drinking water needs in and around Vellore, Arcot, Kanchipuram, Chengalpet and Chennai and the Kalpakkam Atomic Power station.

Conceding Tamil Nadu's request to improve the storage level in Somasila and Kandeluru reservoirs to meet the drinking water needs of Chennai on time, Dr Reddy said the state would be taking up with the new Krishna Water Tribunal, the need for the upper riparian states of Karnataka and Maharashtra to keep up their commitment to provide 5 tmc ft of Krishna waters each for Chennai.

UNI