With about two months to go for the onset of monsoon, the water has hit rock bottom in the reservoirs and the ground water position in the State, particularly the drought-prone Rayalaseema districts is precariously low.
While the water level in Srisailam project is dangerously low (813.6 feet against the full reservoir level of 885 feet) having only 36.45 tmcft of water, the Telangana government which has control of the Nagarjuna Sagar project is insisting that water be released from the reservoir upstream (Srisailam, which is in the control of Andhra Pradesh) so that it can release water into the Nagarjuna Sagar Right Main canal. The NS Right canal is the only source of drinking water to Guntur, Prakasam and a part of Nellore district. The predominantly rainfed Rayalaseema districts are slowly descending into the grip of drought with the groundwater also drying up.