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Chennai is likely to face water shortage by the yearend if the northeast monsoon, expected midOctober, also fails the way the southwest vanished almost dry. The western districts of Tamil Nadu, which depend on the southwest monsoon, have been left thirsty due to poor rainfall this year.

Currently, the four city reservoirs Chembarambakkam, Cholavaram, Poondi and Puzhal, jointly store 3.6tmcft (thousand million cubic feet) only.

Given the average monthly requirement of the city hovering around 1.2tmcft, the present storage could roughly last for another three months.

Even if the northeast monsoon, which accounts for most of Chennai's rainfall, is normal this season, water managers fear water shortage for at least a month until the monsoon sets in mid-October or later, since the current storage cannot last so long.

Adding to Chennai's woes, illegal pumping by farmers along the Krishna canal within the Andhra Pradesh border eats into the city supply.

Though over 1,200 cusecs of water was being released from Kandaleru reservoir, not more than 100 cusecs was being realised here owing to the illegal pumping by Andhra farmers.

On Monday, Kandaleru reservoir had 28.78 tcmft of water. State local administration K. P. Munusamy on Tuesday visited Chembarambakkam reservoir and reviewed water storage and supply situation in the city with senior officials of Chennai metro water and local administration department. Monsoon will be better: Pawar With delayed monsoon triggering fears of crop failure and drought, the agriculture minister Tuesday said the situation is not “that serious“ and the production of rain-fed rice crop is unlikely to be affected as monsoon is expected to better from next week. Kuruvai cultivation hit, farmers worried Having been let down by the southwest monsoon, coupled with non-release of water from Mettur dam on June 12 for delta irrigation this year, farmers in the region, whose kuruvai crop has failed, are now looking up to Lord Varuna to shower His mercy on them.

Source: Deccan Chronicle