Tirupati’s Increasing Urban Growth Puts Pressure on its Water Sources

TIRUPATI: The rapid expansion of urban landscape and increasing pilgrim footfalls are putting pressure on Tirupati's traditional water resources. This had made better conservation and long-term planning inevitable to meet the temple city’s growing requirements.

Once largely centred around pilgrimage activities, Tirupati has witnessed significant growth over the past two decades, with educational institutions, healthcare facilities, commercial establishments, hotels, and new residential colonies expanding. This has resulted in a steady rise in water consumption.

Unlike other cities, Tirupati has to meet the requirements of thousands of devotees arriving for Srivari darshan at Tirumala every day. Along with permanent residents, the floating population has pushed the city’s daily water requirement to around 60 to 70 million litres.

The declining storage in Kalyani reservoir, one of the major sources supplying water to Tirupati and Tirumala, has brought focus on adequacy of water. The reservoir currently holds only 0.347 TMC feet of water, with the level dropping to around 35 feet.

An irrigation department official said there was no immediate concern over drinking water supply. But he stressed the need for careful utilisation of available water resources. “The present storage in Kalyani reservoir can meet the requirements of Tirupati and Tirumala for nearly seven to eight months. New inflows depend on the rainfall in Seshachalam catchment areas. Considering the limited supply, water conservation and prevention of wastage are important to ensure continued supplies," the official said.

Tirupati city is also dependent on water from Telugu Ganga, Kandaleru reservoir, and Swarnamukhi river basin. These have prevented a crisis. But the below-normal rainfall predictions for the region have raised concerns. Pipeline damages, including leakages reported along the Tirupati-Madanapalle highway, are causing wastage of water.

A municipal engineering official said efforts are being made to reduce water losses and strengthen local water resources to meet the temple city's growing requirements. “We are addressing pipeline leakages and taking measures to minimise wastage during distribution. In addition, we are improving water supply network, strengthening check dams and groundwater recharge structures, and harvesting rainwater to improve local water availability," the official said.

The increasing demand and changing rainfall patterns have made sustainable water management essential. Measures, such as reducing distribution losses, improving groundwater recharge, and reusing treated water for non-drinking purposes would help reduce pressure on drinking water sources.