The Andhra Pradesh government decided to accord top priority to drinking water security in view of the prevailing El Niño conditions, Water Resources Minister Nimmala Ramanaidu said on Wednesday.

Water from the Srisailam reservoir would be released exclusively to meet the drinking water requirements of Rayalaseema through the Handri Neeva Sujala Sravanthi (HNSS) and Pothireddypadu projects, the Minister said.

According to him, the Srisailam reservoir currently holds around 119 tmc ft of water, while inflows of another 100 tmc ft are expected over the next 10 days. Keeping in mind the possible impact of El Niño, the government plans to conserve water in the reservoir, primarily for drinking purposes until June 2027.

Mr. Ramanaidu said the government was giving first priority to drinking water within Andhra Pradesh’s 63% share of Krishna river waters. He announced that 13 tmc ft of water would be released from Thursday to meet the needs of reservoirs under the HNSS project, while another 10 tmc ft would be supplied to reservoirs under the Pothireddypadu project.

The Minister also said that 10 tmc ft of water would have to be released through the Telugu Ganga project to meet the drinking water requirements of Chennai. In addition, an estimated 32 tmc ft of water would be required to meet the drinking water needs in the areas served by the right and left canals of the Nagarjuna Sagar project.

Stressing the need for careful water management, Mr. Ramanaidu said the government would review the situation every week and take decisions based on rainfall patterns, reservoir inflows and flood conditions.

He also directed the District Collectors and officials from the Irrigation, Revenue and Agriculture departments to work in close coordination to ensure an uninterrupted supply of drinking water across the State.

Published - August 05, 2026 08:19 pm IST