The southwest monsoon so far has been a huge disappointment for the people of the district. Kurnool has registered a deficit of 21% in the month of June, and this deficit shot up to 90% by mid-July. As a result, drinking water is becoming increasingly scarce in the district.
Kurnool city can only sustain itself till the end of the month with its present sources. According to the municipal authorities, about 2,600 cusecs of water is currently available for the city, and after accounting for pilferage and evaporation, about 2,200 cusecs of water could be used by the citizens. This is expected to last for 20-odd days, considering water is released every alternate day.
Water from TB dam
Municipal Executive Engineer Surendra Babu told The Hindu that they had approached legislators as well as Ministers to pressure the authorities of Tungabhadra (TB) Dam to release water. "The TB dam has about five tmcft water as they are receiving flood water, and we are asking them to release one tmcft," he said.
The TB dam is constructed on the Tungabhadra river and is located in Ballari district of Karnataka. Mr. Babu claims that if the water is immediately released, it will take another 20 days to reach the city. "The water will have to travel over 280 km before it reaches the city," he said.
"It is essential that TB dam water is released immediately, otherwise the city will face extreme shortages," the official said.
Meanwhile, the summer storage (SS) tanks in Nandikotkur and Yemmiganur are completely dry, forcing the municipal authorities in these areas to rely on water from borewells. Yemmiganur municipal commissioner G. Raghunath Reddy said that even the borewells are drying up owing to excessive use. "We are also digging new borewells to keep the supply up, however even they are drying up," he said.
Municipal commissioner of Nandikotkur N. Gangi Reddy said the auhorities had deepened the existing borewells. Both Nandikotkur and Yemmiganur authorities are supplying water on alternate days and expect the water to last until the end of the month.
On the other hand, though the summer storage tank has water in Adoni, the municipal authorities have started supplying water once every three days to conserve water. Delay in the supply is expected to increase to once every five days if the deficit rainfall continues.
