Water scarcity threatens irrigation and drinking supplies in India

Water scarcity concerns are rising across southern India as major reservoirs face declining levels, threatening irrigation and drinking water supplies. In the Srisailam reservoir, storage levels dropped below the 100 tmc mark, reaching 99.3340 tmc ft. Officials have stated that current priorities are focused on meeting drinking water requirements, while the availability of water for other uses remains uncertain due to low inflows.

In Tamil Nadu, farmers in the Tiruchy district are facing similar challenges. Despite water being released from the Mettur dam, many of the 17 irrigation canals in the district have not received flow, leaving samba paddy nurseries at risk. Farmers have called for government contingency plans and fuel subsidies to assist with irrigation, expressing concern over the lack of water reaching tail-end canals and the potential for agricultural lands to become barren.