Ongole: Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu is likely to release Gundlakamma water on August 12, in Prakasam district. At the behest of irrigation minister Devineni Uma Maheswara Rao, the district administration is making arrangements to release water for kharif, which will irrigate 80,000 acres in Prakasam district.
More than 95 per cent of project work has been completed and officials are making arrangement to release water for kharif. District collector Sujatha Sharma and superintendent engineer D. V. Ramana Murthy visited the project and re-viewed arrangements. Sources in the irrigation department informed that officials are making arrangements for the release of water. There is no sufficient water for kharif.
The officials are in a dilemma over whether to release water or not. Due to lack of rains, the water level in the reservoir has fallen to 2.1 tmc feet. Besides, at least 25 per cent of the water will evaporate in the flow. The remaining water would not be sufficient for kharif. The farmers would have to cultivate chillis and wet crops like black gram and Bengal gram. If they cultivate paddy, nurseries will damage. If the same situationcontinues, it would be difficult to release water for wet crops too. Present water is not sufficient to meet drinking water needs of the people and officials are asking to release water for it. Drinking water need is top priority for the government.
Meanwhile, the government has taken steps to modernise Nagarjunasagar Project canal. There is no chance to release water from Nagarjunasagar canal. The officials have no option to release water for drinking water needs.
Superintendent engineer D. V. Ramana Murthy said, “More than 95 per cent of Gundlakamma Project work has been completed. We are making arrangements to release project water for kharif. At present there is no sufficient water in the reservoir to release for kharif. There is need to release water for drinking water needs.”
