At a time when many enthusiasts backing the proposal of making Visakhapatnam the venue of IPL, the Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation placed the gloomy picture of the water situation in the port city before the public. Environmentalists such as EAS Sarma have been protesting against the attempts being made to make Vizag venue for IPL because of looming water crisis. Now the Vizag water supply officials came on record about the impending water crisis in the city.

The drinking water situation is so precarious now that any delay in the onset of monsoon would upset the water supply in the city. All sources of water are fast drying up due to unusual dry spell and heat wave conditions.

The GVMC draws water from eight sources, Godavari river, Yeleru, Raiwada, Meghadrigedda, Thatipudi, Gosthani, Gambheeram and Mudasarlova, in which the levels of water have almost dried up.

“The Gambheeram reservoir has already gone dry. The levels in Yeleru and Godavari are fast receding and are nearing their dead storage levels. Other important sources are also drying up fast,” according to sources in the GVMC.

The sources said on an average the GVMC draws 68 MGD of water from the eight water sources and now, it is getting only 55 to 56 MGD of which 40 to 42 MGD is being supplied to domestic consumers.

The sources said that if this situation continues, the drinking water supply schedule would be disturbed after May 15.

“The water supply might become erratic. The frequency may be cut to thrice in a week. Only God of Rain can save the city, said the sources.

“The Yeleru and Godavari sources are nearing their dead storage levels. Unless the season brings some early rains, tiding over the crisis is difficult,” GVMC Superintendent Engineer (water supply) S Ananda Rao said.