At their first meeting in Undavalli on 13 October, CM Vijay asked Andhra Pradesh CM Chandrababu Naidu for additional drinking water for Chennai through the Telugu Ganga project. Naidu said Andhra has released 4.08 TMC and will consider more.
Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay held his first talks with Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu on Tuesday, October 13, 2026, and asked for additional drinking water for Chennai through the Telugu Ganga project. The meeting took place at Naidu’s residence-cum-camp office in Undavalli, Amaravati, in Guntur district (DT Next / PTI, ThePrint).
“Tamil Nadu CM Vijay requested the release of additional drinking water to Chennai through the Telugu Ganga project,” an official release said after the meeting (PTI).
Naidu and Andhra Pradesh minister Nara Lokesh received Vijay when he arrived at the camp office after offering prayers at the Kanaka Durga temple (NewsMeter, Social News XYZ). Tamil Nadu minister Aadhav Arjuna and officials of both states took part in the talks (Oneindia Telugu). It was Vijay’s first visit to Vijayawada since he took office on May 10 (ThePrint).
Vijay thanked Naidu for the assurance (Oneindia Telugu). No specific additional quantity or release date was announced on Tuesday.
The Telugu Ganga project goes back to a 1983 agreement signed by the then Chief Ministers N.T. Rama Rao of Andhra Pradesh and M.G. Ramachandran of Tamil Nadu. It provides for 12 TMC of Krishna water a year for Chennai, measured after transmission losses (NewsMeter).
| Period | Share | Source |
|---|---|---|
| July – October | 8 TMC | Kandaleru reservoir |
| January – April | 4 TMC | Kandaleru reservoir |
| Total a year | 12 TMC |
Before the meeting, reports said Tamil Nadu had received about 2.251 TMC up to October 9 (IANS, ETV Bharat). Naidu’s figure of 4.08 TMC released comes from a different update, and the two numbers may be counted at different points — release at the Andhra end versus receipt at the border — so they should not be compared directly.
Krishna water reaches the city’s Poondi reservoir and is shared with the Cholavaram, Red Hills and Chembarambakkam lakes, which together supply much of the capital’s drinking water. With Krishna inflows down this year, every extra TMC released before summer helps millions of households.
By taking the request directly to Naidu on his first visit to Vijayawada as Chief Minister, Vijay has put Chennai’s water needs on the agenda at the highest level. The next step to watch is a confirmed release quantity and schedule from the Andhra Pradesh Water Resources Department.
Sources: DT Next (PTI); ThePrint (PTI); NewsMeter; Oneindia Telugu; ETV Bharat.
Krishna Water Telugu Ganga Chandrababu Naidu Andhra Pradesh Chennai Water Day 156