Rayalaseema faces severe water crisis amid strengthening El Nino
The Rayalaseema region in Andhra Pradesh is facing a severe water crisis due to a significant rainfall deficit exacerbated by El Niño conditions. Officials are prioritizing drinking water over irrigation as crop yields are threatened by the ongoing dry spell.
Why it matters
The water shortage poses a long-term threat to the agrarian economy of the region, potentially leading to widespread crop failure.
A severe water crisis has hit Rayalaseema with the southwest monsoon failing to bring enough rains to the region. While several rural areas have already suffered due to the unpredictable weather conditions, a strengthening El Nino threatens to make the dry spell in Rayalaseema even worse. Experts warn this could trigger long-term agrarian crisis for the farmers in the region.
As per the official data till the first week of September, there is significant deficit in rainfall across the vast region. Annamayya district leads the deficit chart at 78.3% below normal, followed by Sri Sathya Sai at 61.9%, YSR Kadapa (58.2%), Nandyal (55.3%), Anantapur (46.9%), Kurnool (46.7%) and Tirupati (40.1%) respectively. The average rainfall across Andhra Pradesh itself is 55.2% below normal, while not a single district in the State is in the surplus category.
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