Hyderabad, July 13: Release of water to ayacut under Nagarjunasagar Project appears uncertain throwing agricultural operations in 22 lakh acres haywire. For the first time in the last four years, the irrigation department is not in a position to announce when the water is likely to be released in both right and left canals of the NSP. Farmers from Khammam, Nalgonda, Guntur, Prakasam and part of Krishna districts will be badly affected because of the delay in rains. The ruling Congress is also worried about the controversies resurfacing over the inter-region water distribution because of the precarious water levels in the run-up to elections. Official sources told this newspaper that with the monsoon playing truant and reservoir levels not increasing, the water could not be released till the first week of August. The scenario is unlikely to change unless the upstream dam receives good inflows. According to official sources, the high level technical committee which schedules the release of water from the reservoirs in the state might meet in a few days to take stock of the situation and announce the probable date of release. "But, going by the situation it will not be possible to give water to both the right and left canals of NSP before the first week of August," said a senior official. In the last few years the irrigation department has been able to start feeding the ayacut from the second or third week of July itself. The situation has turned precarious in the Krishna basin with all the major reservoirs receiving either nil or meagre inflows. While reviewing the amount of rainfall, it was found that Jurala had received only 180 cusecs till Monday morning, in Srisailam it was 1,619 cusecs. In Tungabhadra the inflows dipped to 12,444 cusecs against 23,121 cusecs on July 4. There were no other inflows at all into Nagarjunasagar. The NSP caters to 11.2 lakh acres under right canal and 9.8 lakh acres through left canal besides 1 lakh acres under various lift irrigation schemes. The department has started releasing water to 10 lakh acres in Krishna delta from June 15 with the view that there would not be water problems till next month. "Thanks to effective water management we could save 75 tmc ft of water last year out of which 30 tmc ft would take care of Krishna delta for next one month," the official pointed out. The officials were hoping for rains in another few days for the reservoirs to fill up.