Anantapur: Inter-district disputes over water sharing have been worrying farmers of Rayalaseema region due to poor allocation of water which is insufficient even to meet drinking water needs.
Another water dispute between Anantapur and Kadapa districts was witnessed on Monday when former municipal chairman of Tadipathri, J.C. Prabhakar Reddy, closed the crest gates of the Tungabhadra High Level Main Canal’s Pulivendula Branch Canal (PBC) and diverted the water towards the Tadipathri Branch Canal (TBC) near the Tumpera deep cut of Narpala mandal in the district.
A large number of farmers under ayacut of TBC and nearby villages reached the Tumpera deep cut in more than 30 vehicles and stopped the water supply towards Pulivendula in Kadapa district as protest against Kadapa district leaders and officials not releasing assured water to the JC Nagireddy Drinking Water Project from Gandikota Reservoir in Kadapa district.
The J.C. Nagireddy Project has recently taken shape to meet the drinking water needs of the Tadipathri Assembly segment and other nearby mandals.
The government had allotted water to the JC Nagireddy Drinking Water Project in Anantapur district from Gandikota reservoir, located in Kadapa district. But, the assured water wasn’t released till date.
Tadipathri leaders had recently threatened the officials and the government that they would close the crest gates of Pulivendula Branch Canal if no steps were taken.
As the deadline ended, the farmers reached Tumperla in Narpala mandal and forcibly diverted water towards Tadipathri. Though, Irrigation officials tried to stop the farmers, they threatened them of dire consequences and closed the PBC gates.
Speaking on the occasion, J.C. Prabhakar Reddy said that of the 2 tmcft of water allocated for the Tadipathri Branch Canal, only 1.5 tmcft had been utilised so far.
“The irrigation authorities were ignoring the pleas of the farmers of Anantapur and releasing water to Pulivendula. Simultaneously Kadapa leaders were resisting at Gandikota,” he complained and added that many villages had been facing severe crisis even for drinking water in Anantapur district while Pulivendula farmers were using Tungabhadra water for irrigation purposes.
