The Andhra Pradesh government decided to accord top priority to drinking water security in view of the prevailing El Niño conditions, Water Resources Minister Nimmala Ramanaidu said on Wednesday. Water from the Srisailam reservoir would be released exclusively to meet the drinking water requirements of Rayalaseema through the Handri Neeva Sujala Sravanthi (HNSS) and Pothireddypadu projects, the Minister said. According to him, the Srisailam reservoir currently holds around 119 tmc ft of water, while inflows of another 100 tmc ft are expected over the next 10 days. Mr. Ramanaidu said the government was giving first priority to drinking water within Andhra Pradesh’s 63% share of Krishna river waters. The Minister also said that 10 tmc ft of water would have to be released through the Telugu Ganga project to meet the drinking water requirements of Chennai.