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Published - August 23, 2026 07:34 pm IST - ANANTAPUR

YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) Anantapur district president and former MLA Anantha Venkatarami Reddy has alleged that the State government had failed to implement necessary alternate measures to mitigate the El Nino impact.

Speaking to the media here on Sunday, the senior leader claimed that, according to initial expectations, the impact of El Niño would subside by August. However, scientists state that the present phenomenon is a ‘Super El Niño’ and will persist throughout the year, he added.

“The undivided Anantapur district is set to face an acute shortage of drinking water, irrigation water, and cattle fodder. Reduced crop cultivation during the previous Kharif season has already led to scarcity of fodder. Haystacks are not to be found in the villages, and livestock is already being moved to market yards,” he alleged.

Mr. Venkatarami Reddy said that Anantapur is the second district in the country with the lowest rainfall. “This region has previously suffered from severe droughts that left cattle emaciated, and the conditions appear to be heading in that direction again,” he claimed.

During this Kharif season, Anantapur district recorded a rainfall deficit of 45%, while Sri Sathya Sai district recorded a deficit of 53%. Crop cultivation was limited to just 55% of the land in Anantapur district and 45% in Sri Sathya Sai district, he claimed. Even the crops that were sown during the Kharif season are withering, with some areas reporting total crop failure due to drought.

While the district was supposed to receive 27 tmcft of water from the Tungabhadra Dam, reports indicate that only 16 tmcft will be allocated this year.

The senior leader claimed that currently 167 tmcft of water was available at the Srisailam reservoir, however, the authorities were failing to secure adequate water supplies for Rayalaseema region. “In the undivided Anantapur district, the Ministers, MPs, and MLAs all belong to the ruling party, but no one is paying attention to the water crisis or the state of the crops,” he said.

Mr. Venkatarami Reddy alleged that while Rayalaseema was facing a difficult situation, Telangana was diverting water. “If the current situation at Srisailam persists, the reservoir will run dry in another 10 days,” he said, and added that the public representatives from undivided Anantapur district must respond and meet the Chief Minister and demand release of more water for Rayalaseema.

Published - August 23, 2026 07:34 pm IST

Agriculture / Anantapur / Andhra Pradesh / Rayalaseema

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