The Tirumala town, where temple of Lord Venkateswara is located, has recorded a surplus rainfall during the calendar year. The town so far has registered 1649 mm of rainfall – an excess by 285 mm against the average annual rainfall of 1364 mm.
Statistics reveal that the town had received the highest rainfall of 2056 mm in 1996 followed by 2028 mm in 2005 and 1708 mm in 2007.
With more than 40 days left and the North-East monsoon still active, the figures are expected to swell further making it the highest rainfall received in the past one decade.
Interestingly the town which is credited with having five drinking water projects to meet the requirements of the pilgrims experienced different measures of rainfall at different places.
While 780 mm of rainfall was recorded at the twin projects of Kumaradhara and Pasupudhara situated about 9 kilometres on the north-western side of the town, Papavinasanam located bout 5 kilometres on the north-eastern side of the town recorded 751 mm while the Gogarbham dam situated just a kilometre away from the temple recorded the highest rainfall of 801mm the Akasaganga Dam registered the least of 650 mm.
Interestingly the town which was plagued with severe drought-like conditions till yesterday received the entire rainfall in a matter of just ten days between November 7 and 16. It may not be out of context to mention here that perturbed with the failure of south-west monsoon in addition to the deficit rainfall experienced during the last two years which saw a meagre of 843 mm and 890 mm of rain, Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu in fact issued a G.O. enabling the TTD to draw water from the Kandaleru reservoir which unfortunately also had hit the dead storage level.
According to the TTDs Executive Engineer (water works) A. Narasimha murthy the rainfall received so far will suffice the drinking water needs of the town for another 388 days.
Meanwhile, the water storage capacity at all the five drinking water projects had reached their Full Reservoir Level (FRL) and the crest gates of both the Papasvinasanam and Gogarbham stay lifted for the third consecutive day.
