Tirumala’s water reserves may last just 90 days amid deficient rainfall

The Gogarbham dam, one of the reservoirs that supply water to Tirumala. It lies on the way to Papavinasanam. | Photo Credit: V. Ganesan

El Niño appears to be tightening its grip on Tirumala, the abode of Lord Venkateswara, with the hill shrine’s water reserves estimated to be sufficient for barely 90 days, prompting the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) to impose stringent curbs on water consumption across the pilgrim town.

Despite having five drinking water reservoirs, the temple town is grappling with mounting water stress because erratic monsoon showers have failed to replenish its storage to the required levels. Rising daytime temperatures, deficient rainfall and an unusually sustained influx of pilgrims have further compounded the crisis, placing the hill town’s water management system under considerable strain.

The pressure is particularly pronounced because the pilgrim town, renowned for drawing massive daily pilgrim footfalls, has been witnessing heavy crowds since the beginning of the year, rather than the usual concentration of visitors during weekends and holidays. The sustained demand has accelerated the depletion of water reserves, forcing the temple administration to ration supplies to conserve the available stock.