Anantapur: The irrigation authorities are determined to fill maximum number of irrigation tanks with Krishna and Tungabhadra waters in Anantapur district by the next season following the ongoing work of phase-II of the HNSS project.
Southern parts like Penukonda, Hindupur, Madakasira and Kadiri are known as drought hit parts of district due to lack of ground water sources.
Diversion of Krishna water through HNSS project has been improving groundwater sources since last year. Krishna water is already filled at the Jeedipalli reservoir near Belaguppa and it recently also filled Gollapalli reservoir in Penukonda mandal covering major parts of Penukonda, Hindupur and Madakasira areas.
“We are also digging a separate channel towards KIA motors, the prestigious Korea based car manufacturing unit near Penukonda,” collector Veerapandian observed.
The HNSS authorities had targeted on completing all major works a the Madakasira tanks through Madakasira Branch Canal from Gollapalli reservoir.
“We hope Krishna waters will soon reach Madakasira and Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu will inaugurate the project. It is the dream of our people who are now suffering from want of even drinking water,” MLC Gundumala Thippe-swamy said.
Sources revealed there are 1263 irrigation tanks of various types located in all parts of the district but with poor availability of perennial water sources, these tanks have not helped the farmers to irrigate for the past two decades.
The state government wanted to fill the tanks with the waters of Krishna backwaters to be pumped from Malyala in Kurnool district through lift irrigation systems.
A senior official from HNSS project observed that by providing HNSS water to fill 1183 irrigation tanks, they had planned to provide irrigation and drinking water sources to 407 tanks through gravity while 776 tanks were to be filled with the help of lift irrigation systems.
Further, every village is scheduled to get safe drinking water even during summer season as currently more than 200 habitations were facing drinking water crisis throughout the year and water was being supplied through the tankers.
