AP Government To Reserve Rayalaseema Reservoirs for Drinking Water Purposes
Anantapur: As El Niño conditions lead to rainfall deficit and affect reservoir inflows, the Andhra Pradesh government has decided to prioritize the use of Tungabhadra (TB) and Handri Neeva Sujala Sravanti (HNSS) reservoir water for drinking purposes over irrigation.
Tungabhadra Dam, a major source of water under the Krishna basin, has been allocated around 20 TMC feet of water by the Tungabhadra Board following poor rainfall in the catchment areas of the Western Ghats.
Water Resources officials are concerned about reduced water flow into the Srisailam reservoir, which receives water from the Krishna River through the Almatti project in Karnataka. The HNSS project, which draws water from the backwaters of Srisailam, is expected to receive lower allocation this season. The HNSS project lifted approximately 50 TMC feet last year.
Storage levels of the Chitravathi Balancing Reservoir in the Pennar basin are poor, raising concerns about drinking water availability in parts of Kadapa district.
Rayalaseema is mainly dependent on Tungabhadra Dam and HNSS project to meet its drinking water and irrigation needs in parts of Nandyal, Kurnool, Anantapur, Sri Sathya Sai and Chittoor districts up to Kuppam. Kurnool city depends on KC Canal for drinking water and the resources are supported by annual allocations from Tungabhadra High Level Canal.
Anantapur city, Hindupur municipality and many other towns and villages rely on the Penna Ahobilam Balancing Reservoir (PABR) at Kudair for drinking water. Kalyandurg, Madakasira, Hindupur, Rayadurg and Anantapur city receive water from PABR through pipelines.
However, El Niño has severely affected rainfall and water flow into all these reservoirs that cater to Rayalaseema. Groundwater levels have also depleted throughout the region.
As a result, Finance Minister Payyavula Kesav instructed the officials of Tungabhadra HLC and HNSS projects to monitor the situation closely. He asked the authorities to prepare emergency plans to alleviate the effects of water scarcity. This includes reserving Tungabhadra HLC and HNSS waters for drinking purposes only.
The Minister instructed the authorities to first fill all drinking water and summer storage tanks within 25-30 days after the water is released into the HLC system. Further arrangements must be made, including the installation of high capacity motors and additional transformers to speed up pumping operations.
In the face of sharp decline in groundwater levels, Kesav instructed Rural Water Supply engineers to assess the water table and drill new borewells where necessary to ensure year-round drinking water supply.
