As water in major drinking water tanks, including the two summer storage tanks in the city, are fast depleting, the citizens of the city recently upgraded to municipal corporation want the State government to release Krishna waters early from the Nagarjunasagar reservoir to tide over the water crisis during summer.

With the present water in the two summer storage tanks enough to meet the city’s drinking water requirement only for the next 10 to 15 days, the Prakasam district administration is pressing for release of 4.7 tmc ft of Krishna water to fill the major water storage tanks in the city and over 240 notified and non-notified tanks in other villages and towns in the district over a period of one month.

''Replenishment of water during the next one week is imperative. We have explained to the higher state officials about the factual position. We are expecting release of Krishna water positively in the first week of April,” district Collector G.S.R.K.R. Vijaykumar told reporters here.

Meanwhile, TDP MLA from Markapur Kandula Narayan Reddy said the present storage in Markapur town would be sufficient to meet the drinking water needs of people only for two days.

He threatened to launch an indefinite fast from April 2 if there was any delay in Krishna water release beyond April 1.

The availability of water in the two summer storage tanks in Ongole was only 1,000 million litres as against the total storage capacity of 5,800 ml, civic body officials said.

Over 200 million litres of water would be lost due to evaporation. Water should be replenished by river Krishna in April to meet the drinking water requirement till the onset of southwest monsoon, they added.

Meanwhile, Forum for Good Governance president Alla Venkateswara Rao suggested desilting of wells in disuse in the city and construction of drinking water tanks on the city outskirts in Pernamitta and Koppulu to meet the drinking water needs of colonies which had been added to the upgraded municipal corporation.

Water supply to Ongole could be augmented from the Gundlakamma reservoir in the long term, he added.