Rabi Cultivation Risky Due To Low Water Storage In Tungabhadra Dam
Authorities said on Wednesday that the reservoir has 51.344 TMC of water against its full capacity of 105.788 TMC.
Anantapur:With storage of water in Tungabhadra Dam declining and inflows remaining zero, farmers under the Tungabhadra Low-Level Canal (LLC) and High-Level Canal (HLC) command areas face uncertainty over availability of water for irrigation during the Rabi season.
Dam authorities have ruled out any release of water for cultivation, citing the need to preserve the stored water to meet the drinking water needs of people in the area during summer.
Authorities said on Wednesday that the reservoir has 51.344 TMC of water against its full capacity of 105.788 TMC. The water level stands at 1,616.210 feet against the maximum level of 1,633 feet.
There are zero inflows into the dam, while the average outflow into various canals is 11,967 cusecs.
The current storage is considerably lower than the 77.841 TMC recorded on the same day last year. The 10-year average storage for the corresponding date is 84.479 TMC.
Amid pressure from farmers seeking release of water into the canal network for Rabi crops, particularly in drought-prone Rayalaseema, authorities have made it clear that the available water must be reserved for drinking purposes.
As a result, farmers dependent on HLC and LLC systems may have to scale down cultivation or shift away from water-intensive crops.
The reported average discharges at various canal points are 3,082 cusecs at the HLMC head, 1,505 cusecs at the HLMC Andhra Pradesh border, 1,740 cusecs at the LLC head, 883 cusecs at the LLC Andhra Pradesh border and 378 cusecs at the LLC board-limit point.