Drought, Water Shortage and Crop Losses Put Rayalaseema in Crisis Says YSRCP

Rayalaseema is grappling with worsening drought conditions, but the Andhra Pradesh government remains in deep slumber, the YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) alleged on Friday, accusing the ruling coalition of failing to respond to the mounting water and agricultural crisis in the region.

Speaking to reporters at the YSRCP district office in Anantapur, party leaders Anantha Venkatarami Reddy and former minister Sake Shailajanath said farmers were struggling without adequate irrigation and drinking water, while a shortage of fodder was also affecting livestock.

The leaders claimed that Kharif cultivation in Rayalaseema has been limited to just 39–40 per cent, while groundwater levels have fallen by around 12 to 20 metres in several areas. The shortage of green fodder, they said, has also resulted in an estimated 75 per cent decline in milk production.

Questioning the government’s preparedness, Anantha Venkatarami Reddy said warnings about El Niño conditions and deficient rainfall had been available well in advance, but the government had failed to prepare a contingency plan. He also alleged that Telangana had released around 53 TMC of water from the Srisailam reservoir for power generation, while Andhra Pradesh remained silent despite the growing water crisis in Rayalaseema.

He said the previous YSRCP government had paid nearly Rs 8,600 crore towards crop insurance premiums and around Rs 11,000 crore as input subsidy. Farmers facing crop losses due to the current drought, he alleged, were now being forced to bear the burden of insurance premiums themselves.

Former minister Sake Shailajanath urged the government to prioritise water security over power generation, arguing that electricity could be purchased but water released from reservoirs could not be recovered. With water storage in the Srisailam reservoir falling to around 160 TMC, continued releases for power generation could severely affect the region’s irrigation projects and the Handri-Neeva project, he warned.

The YSRCP leaders demanded that water from Srisailam be diverted to the Telugu Ganga, Handri-Neeva, drinking water schemes and other Rayalaseema projects. They also sought the transfer of at least 30–40 TMC of water through Pothireddypadu to meet the region’s urgent needs.

They called for immediate drought relief, compensation for affected farmers, adequate fodder for cattle and urgent measures to address drinking water shortages. Warning of intensified protests if the government failed to act, the leaders said the party was prepared to stage an agitation at the Srisailam project if necessary.

Meanwhile, YSRCP president and former Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy also criticised the coalition government, accusing it of failing to develop an alternative strategy to deal with the drought situation. He also raised concerns over BC reservations in local body elections, alleging that Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu was continuing his earlier approach to the issue and claiming that the previous YSRCP government had taken steps to provide reservations beyond the prescribed quota.