Two days of rain have redrawn a landscape that had borne the effects of a prolonged dry spell, compounded by El Niño-related weather patterns in Andhra Pradesh.
In June, the tank beds in the villages of Alluru and Gaadhepalem near Ongole lay baked and cracked under the summer heat, with concrete wells standing exposed amid the parched earth. Villagers walked long distances with pots and plastic containers to collect drinking water, while cattle wandered across empty lake beds. Now, the same landscape is almost unrecognisable. Fresh rainwater has swallowed the cracked earth, filled the tanks, and turned dusty, barren stretches into shimmering sheets of water. The striking change, captured just days apart, offers a vivid picture of how quickly the landscape can respond when the rains finally arrive.
Heavy rains and increased inflows have replenished water sources across the State.
In Vijayawada, rising inflows into the Krishna River basin prompted the Water Resources Department to lift the gates of the Prakasam Barrage and regulate the discharge of floodwaters. Officials continued to monitor the inflows and regulate releases as water levels rose.
In Visakhapatnam, the Mudasarlova Reservoir, which had recorded depleted storage earlier, received sufficient inflows following the recent rains. At Gambheeram Gedda Reservoir, too, the contrast is striking. Just two days ago, only a few patches of water were visible in the reservoir. It is now brimming with water.
The change is particularly significant in the tail-end areas of Prakasam district, where several village tanks had dried up during the summer.
To address the shortage during the peak dry period, irrigation authorities in August released water from the Ramateertham Reservoir through the Nagarjuna Sagar Right Canal network to replenish summer storage tanks in the tail-end villages. The water was released specifically to meet drinking water requirements rather than for irrigation, officials said. The recent rains have now filled several of these tanks, covering the exposed beds and improving local water availability.
(Text by G.V.R Subba Rao)
Baked earth: A school student walks across a dry pond to reach a well in Gaadhepalem village.
In dire straits: A dry tank in Gaadhepalem village near Ongole had left villagers dependent on a well within in. The village’s reverse osmosis plant had also became defunct, adding to the problems.
Welcome sight: A view of the same tank after the rain. The Irrigation Department has now filled the tank with water released from the Ramateertham Reservoir and groundwater level has also improved.
Ecological distress: The Singarakonda tank near Addanki in Prakasam district is almost completely dried up. The remaining water is visibly stagnant and covered with algae.
Sudden surge: Gambheeram Gedda Reservoir, which had seen a sharp decline in water levels during the prolonged dry spell, is seen filled to the brim after the recent rains in Visakhapatnam.
Make-shift pitch: Youth playing cricket on the sand dunes formed over the Krishna River. The waterway receded as there was deficit rainfall due to the El Niño effect. There was no discharge from Prakasham barrage owing to poor rainfall in the catchment area.
Dramatic shift: Fishermen try their luck in the Krishna River after Irrigation officials released water from Prakasam barrage. Due to incessant rains, many rivulets and streams had begun overflowing upstream.
Splash forward: Water cascading down the steps of the Simhachalam hill following heavy rainfall in Visakhapatnam, under the influence of a deep depression in the Bay of Bengal.
Rain makeover: The Mudasarlova Reservoir, which had gone almost dry, was seen brimming on September 24, following heavy rains in Visakhapatnam. The inflow and water surge brought tourists to enjoy the scenic view.
Patchy reserve: Large stretches of the Mudasarlova Reservoir seen dried up, exposing the reservoir bed amid low rainfall, in Visakhapatnam on August 2.
Wholesome glow-up: An aerial view of Mudasarlova Reservoir in Visakhapatnam on September 25, after the nearly depleted reservoir received fresh inflows following heavy rain.
