Hyderabad: El Nino conditions affecting Telangana and upstream areas of the Krishna and Godavari rivers in Karnataka and Maharashtra have reduced inflows, impacting Kharif cultivation and leaving major, medium and minor reservoirs at very low levels. Scanty rainfall has placed 457 of 621 mandals in a drought-like situation, with 399 recording deficient rainfall and 58 showing large deficits as of July 26. This includes 15 mandals in Hyderabad and 442 across 32 rural districts. In the Godavari basin, no major or medium projects have received even 5 tmc ft of flood in nearly two months. In the Krishna basin, only Nagarjunasagar has seen about 20 tmc ft, mainly from local rains. Some inflows have reached Almatti and Narayanpur, allowing limited downstream discharge, and Jurala began receiving flood on July 26. High energy demand in July coincided with sharply reduced hydel output due to poor inflows at Jurala and Srisailam. Officials expect possible generation at Jurala by month-end if inflows continue, but Srisailam remains unlikely to see activity soon.
