Tamil Nadu CM Vijay to meet Naidu today: Krishna water for Chennai on agenda

The supply of Krishna river water to Chennai under the Telugu Ganga Project is expected to figure prominently in the meeting between Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu in Vijayawada on Tuesday (October 13, 2026). The two States are grappling with water-sharing commitments amid depleted reservoir storage.

Mr. Vijay’s visit marks his first trip to Andhra Pradesh since assuming office as Chief Minister. Though the official agenda includes the proposed Godavari-Krishna-Cauvery river-linking project, the immediate concern for Tamil Nadu is the shortfall in drinking water supplies to Chennai.

Under the inter-State agreement signed in 1983, 15 TMC of Krishna water is to be delivered annually at the Tamil Nadu border for Chennai’s drinking water needs. But inadequate flood flows into Srisailam and low storage in key reservoirs have complicated the prospects of meeting the demand in full. The Andhra Pradesh government is understood to be examining the possibility of releasing a proportionate quantity from available reserves in Somasila and Kandaleru. A partial release of up to 5 TMC is likely to be a possible compromise, though a final government decision may be disclosed after the meeting.

“The AP government cannot release the full quantity under the prevailing reservoir conditions, but a proportionate release from the available storage in Kandaleru and Somasila is likely to be considered,” sources said.

The 2017 precedent

The proposed meeting brings back memories of January 12, 2017, when then Tamil Nadu Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam travelled to Andhra Pradesh to meet Mr. Naidu at Velagapudi and seek the release of Krishna water for Chennai, which was facing an acute drinking water shortage.

Mr. Panneerselvam had written to Mr. Naidu on January 7, urging the immediate release of the agreed quantity from the Kandaleru reservoir. During their meeting, he explained the severity of the crisis and sought additional supplies. Mr. Naidu agreed in principle to a partial release, with the final quantity linked to water availability and Andhra Pradesh’s own requirements. Reports at the time said the two sides discussed a release of around 2.5 TMC.

The meeting also exposed an inter-State issue following the bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh. Mr. Naidu argued that the earlier arrangement had been concluded when Andhra Pradesh was undivided and that Telangana should also bear responsibility for its share of the water commitment. The debate showed the complications created by State reorganisation for existing water-sharing arrangements.

The Telugu Ganga Project dates back to an agreement signed on April 18, 1983, by the then Chief Ministers N.T. Rama Rao of Andhra Pradesh and M.G. Ramachandran of Tamil Nadu. Besides supplying drinking water to Chennai, the project was designed to provide irrigation to drought-prone areas of Rayalaseema and upland Nellore district.

Wider Krishna basin sensitivities

The current discussions are also taking place amid Telangana’s concerns over Krishna water diversions to areas outside the basin, including the Penna basin. Andhra Pradesh must balance Chennai’s drinking water requirements against its own irrigation and drinking water needs, reservoir conditions and the interests of other riparian States.

The proposed Godavari-Krishna-Cauvery linkage could offer a longer-term way of addressing water shortages across southern India. But the immediate challenge for Mr. Vijay and Mr. Naidu will be to find a practical solution to Chennai’s drinking water requirements without aggravating existing inter-State disputes.

The outcome could determine whether the two governments can reconcile the commitments under the decades-old Telugu Ganga arrangement with current hydrological constraints and the changed political and administrative realities following Andhra Pradesh’s bifurcation.