Anantapur: With crop holiday announced under Tungabhadra High Level Main Canal, Anantapur Irrigation Advisory Board is expecting only around 12 tmc ft and concentrating on meeting the demand for drinking water in the region. Further, police patrolling is being done en route to Penna Ahobilam Balancing Reservoir from state borders of High Level Main Canal to curb illicit piping and pumping from the canal.
Rain deficit and poor inflows from upstream areas of Tungabhadra reservoir in Karnataka had reduction in quota for HLMC in the state. The Tungabhadra board had released 21.156 tmc ft quotas to HLMC, but the board was able to allocate only 12 tmc ft in the first phase during the present year.
As per the sharing of water for drinking water projects, more than 8.50 tmc ft is needed to meet drinking water needs for a period of one year. Water would be stored at PABR and released to pipeline projects and sub branch canals up to Pulivendula in Kadapa district. Collector Kona Sasidhar said water will be stored at PABR, Mid-Pennar, Chitravati Balancing Reservoir.
Rest of the water, about 3.50 tmc ft, is to be released for outstanding irrigated dry crops - 9,610 acres under HLMC, 3,500 acres under Guntakal Branch Canal.
About 10 patrolling teams and sub-inspectors of connecting mandals have been on bandobust en route Tungabhadra High Level Main Canal to resist illicit piping and diversion of water to the fields. SP Rajasekhar Babu said the teams were monitoring the situation round-the-clock to avoid untoward incidents and illicit diversion of water from the main canal.
Anantapur Municipal Corporation and Neelakantapuram Sreerami Reddy PABR drinking water project depend on sources from PABR while Dharmavaram, Tadipatri, and Puttaparthi to get sources from Chitra-vati Balancing Reservoir for drinking water purposes.
Sreerami Reddy scheme is to serve drinking water supply of Madakasira, Hindupur and parts of Kalyanadurg areas along with Hindupur Industrial area.
