Flow may not be sufficient at Basara and Kandakurthy ghats for dip baths
Arrangements being done for shower baths in place of holy dip, keeping in view the shortage of water for Pushkaralu at Dharmapuri in Karimnagar district. (Photo: DC)
Hyderabad: The TS government on Saturday began releasing water from the three dams to ensure a majority of ghats across Godavari River in five districts receives ‘flowing water’ during the 12-day pushkarams starting July 14. Even with the latest effort two important pushkaram ghats located in Basara and Kandakurthy will not get sufficient flow for pilgrims to take a ‘dip bath’ and the government has planned ‘shower bath’ instead.
Kandakurthy, a village bordering Maharashtra in Nizamabad district, is famous for the confluence of three rivers, Godavari, Manjeera and Harindra. It is the place where Godavari enters TS from Maharashtra. Basara in Adilabad is famous for the Goddess Saraswathi temple where pilgrims are expected in large numbers. But there is no perennial flow of river water at these two places, leave alone water touching the bathing ghats. “There are a total of 106 ghats across five districts in TS and except these two, all the remaining will get sufficient water for bathing,” Major Irrigation Minister T. Harish Rao said on Saturday. He said a sufficient number of bore wells were already dug at Kandakurthy and Basara and pilgrims can take ‘shower bath’ at these places. He also said the government will apprise pushkar pilgrims about the situation.
According to the latest decision, irrigation officials on Saturday operated Sriram Sagar, Kadem and Yellampally Dams to release waters downstream of Godavari River ranging from 1,000 cusecs to 3,000 cusecs so that Sone Bridge, Pochampad, Dharmapuri, Velala, Chennur and Kaleswaram get sufficient water at bathing ghats. “We will close the Dam gates either on July 20 or 21, but water will flow till completion of Pushakaralu on July 25,” Endowments Minister, A. Indrakaran Reddy told Deccan Chronicle.
He said there will be no problem right from SRSP Dam to Bhadrachalam and pilgrims can plan their destinations.
Shower baths at Pushkaralu
At some places the Godavari pushkaralu will be just a shower bath for devotees instead of a holy dip in the Godavari waters during the Pushkaralu. All devotees may not be able to have a holy dip in the Godavari if the present situation continues. There would be no water in the Godavari to take a holy dip though water will be released downstream from SRSP, Kadam and Yellampalli irrigation projects in the district.
The government is trying its best to get water released downstream from Vishnupuri and Gaikwad irrigation projects in Maharashtra so that Godavari water will reach Basar by the beginning of Godavari pushkaralu. On Saturday, as many as 2,800 cusecs of water was released downstream from Kadam project.
The district administration is planning to release 1,000 to 3,000 cusecs every day from Kadam. But the situation is different as far as SRSP was concerned as it has to provide drinking water to Nizamabad, Karimnagar and Warangal districts.
Officials are of the opinion that there would be no problem to release water downstream from SRSP for Godavari pushkaralu if water was released from Gaikwad and Vishnupuri projects in Maharashtra. Meanwhile, paddy farmers of Luxettipet and Dandepalli and Jannaramarea are protesting the releasing of water into Godavari from Kadam for Godavari pushkaralu.
( Source : deccan chronicle )
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