Krishna water to reach erstwhile Chittoor district after Sept 10
In Short
Officials plan to fill three summer storage tanks and around 50 tanks along the Punganur and Kuppam branch canals
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Krishna water to reach erstwhile Chittoor district after Sept 10
Tirupati: With El Nino casting drought shadows over Rayalaseema, the government has begun early transfer of Krishna water through Handri-Neeva project to secure drinking water supplies in the erstwhile Chittoor district.
Intermittent rains in the upper riparian States of Maharashtra and Karnataka have brought some movement into Krishna River despite weak rainfall in Andhra Pradesh. Pumping of water was started from Malyala, an upstream area of Srisailam in Kurnool district sometime back.
The water reached Jeedipalli Reservoir in Anantapur district on August 11 and passed through Handri-Neeva main canal towards Cherlopalli Reservoir near Kadiri in Sri Sathya Sai district.
Officials are making arrangements to release Handri-Neeva water to the erstwhile Chittoor district after September 10. Water will be supplied through Punganur Branch Canal to Thamballapalle, Madanapalle and Punganur constituencies, while Kuppam Branch Canal will carry water to Palamaner and Kuppam constituencies.
The need for drinking water has increased as several tanks, ponds and agricultural borewells have started drying up.
The situation has also affected irrigation in several areas. Against this backdrop, the government decided to bring Krishna water to the region ahead of the peak water shortage period.
Cherlopalli Reservoir has a storage capacity of 1.618 TMC and currently holds around 0.500 TMC. Officials plan to release water into Punganur Branch Canal once the reservoir receives around one TMC to 1.2 TMC. They expect the required storage to be reached in another week and are preparing to release water after September 10.
For 2026-27, the government has decided to use Handri-Neeva water mainly for drinking water and industrial requirements. In Anantapur district, water will be supplied to the Kia company and industries in the Gollapalli area, including those under APIIC.
In the erstwhile Chittoor district, priority will be given to filling Chippili and Guttakindapalle summer storage tanks in Madanapalle and summer storage tank in Punganur. Officials have also planned to fill three summer storage tanks and around 50 tanks along Punganur and Kuppam branch canals, including tanks located along the initial stretches up to Kuppam. This will be the ninth occasion that Krishna water reaches the district after completion of first and second phases of Handri-Neeva project. The longest continuous flow was recorded from August 21, 2025, to April 12, 2026, when Krishna water flowed for nearly eight months.
