Archive · 6 Aug 2026
North Andhra reservoirs lose 1 tmcf annually via evaporation, seepage
Some big water storage places called reservoirs, in a part of India called north Andhra, are losing a lot of water every year.
Water is lost in two ways: evaporation, when the sun turns water into vapour, and seepage, when water slowly leaks into the ground.
Three reservoirs — Raiwada, Tatapudi and Meghadrigedda — together lose more than 1 tmc ft of water each year.
That is a very large amount of water that could otherwise have been stored for people to use.
Raiwada loses the most water, followed by Tatapudi and then Meghadrigedda.
Meghadrigedda reservoir is especially important because it provides drinking water to the city of Visakhapatnam.
The central government told Parliament about these losses and said no repair or safety upgrade work has been done on the three reservoirs.
The government has been checking the safety of dams across the country and has completed evaluations for many of them.
All dams that are checked need to be fully evaluated by December 2026.
Keeping water safe and stopping losses helps cities have enough water to live and grow.
Meghadrigedda, Raiwada and Tatapudi reservoirs in north Andhra lose a combined 1.047 tmc ft of water annually — 0.769 tmc ft to evaporation and 0.278 tmc ft to seepage.
Raiwada records the highest losses: 0.53 tmc ft through evaporation and 0.16 tmc ft through seepage.
Tatapudi loses 0.157 tmc ft to evaporation and 0.094 tmc ft to seepage, while Meghadrigedda loses 0.082 tmc ft and 0.024 tmc ft respectively.
No spillway repairs, structural rehabilitation or other rehabilitation works have been undertaken at the three reservoirs, according to information placed in the Lok Sabha by the Union Ministry of Jal Shakti.
Pre-monsoon safety inspections have been completed for all 150 specified dams in Andhra Pradesh, and 468 Comprehensive Dam Safety Evaluation reports are done, with a December 2026 deadline.
- Who
- The Union Ministry of Jal Shakti, using data provided by the Andhra Pradesh government, responding to a question raised by Visakhapatnam MP M. Sribharat in the Lok Sabha.
- What
- Three north Andhra reservoirs — Meghadrigedda, Raiwada and Tatapudi — lose 1.047 tmc ft of water annually to evaporation and seepage, and no rehabilitation works have been undertaken at them.
- When
- Thursday, when the information was placed in the Lok Sabha; the figures represent annual losses.
- Where
- Meghadrigedda, Raiwada and Tatapudi reservoirs in north Andhra Pradesh, with Meghadrigedda serving as a drinking water source for Visakhapatnam.
- Why
- Evaporation and seepage cause the losses, and the question was raised over concerns about dam safety.
- Total annual loss
- 1.047 tmc ft (0.769 evaporation + 0.278 seepage)
- Highest losses
- Raiwada — 0.53 tmc ft evaporation, 0.16 tmc ft seepage
- Tatapudi losses
- 0.157 tmc ft evaporation, 0.094 tmc ft seepage
- Meghadrigedda losses
- 0.082 tmc ft evaporation, 0.024 tmc ft seepage
- Meghadrigedda role
- Key drinking water source for Visakhapatnam
- Rehabilitation works
- None undertaken at the three reservoirs
- Andhra Pradesh specified dams
- 150; all completed pre-monsoon safety inspections
- CDSE status and deadline
- 468 reports completed; 1,090 dams inspected; deadline December 2026