Vijayawada: In the worst ever situation in the state, reservoirs are running empty and water is below the dead storage level in some projects in the Krishna and Godavari basins. There could soon be not enough water for drinking. Only timely and bountiful rains in the upstream states can salvage the situation.
The data makes for scary reading: Almatti: No water against its capacity of 129.72 tmc ft. Narayanapur: Even half the storage capacity of 37.65 tmc ft is available. Jurala: 2.94 tmc ft against 11.94 tmc ft capacity available, against 6.26 tmc ft last year.
Tungabhadra: 3.41 tmc ft against 100.86 tmc ft capacity. Srisalam: 23.37 tmc ft available against capacity of 215.81 tmc ft. Nagarjunasagar: 127.13 tmc ft of water against 312.05 tmc ft capacity.
Pulichintala: 45.77 tmc ft project to save the Krishna Delta is empty. Prakasam barrage: Water at 6 feet against minimum level of 12 feet. Pattiseema: The project on the Godavari has water below the 15 metre level.
“AP and TS should share 812 tmc ft of water by drawing from these two projects, but only 66 tmc ft of water has reached these projects," says AP irrigation minister Devineni Umamaheswara Rao. The two governments should fight to stop illegal projects coming up in Karnataka and Maharashtra, he added.
AP Delta Rytanga convener Kolanukonda Sivaji said the government should stop illegal projects from coming up in the upstream states. He said the government’s negligence in the matter had led to the present situation.
Given the dire situation, pandits say the government should perform special yagams to invoke rain. Noted astrologer Ponnaluri Gargeya said the rain would be sufficient after the last week of June and sought the government’s help for the Sapta Surya Maha Yagam which he was performing at various locations in the state.
Kanchipeetam Asthana’s L. Subramanya Siddhanthi said the government should perform Rajyasyamala Sahita Kubera Samputitha Pasupatha Yagam.
Alternate plans being readied if monsoon fails
The AP government has hopes of an early monsoon and adequate rainfall but is chalking out plans to deal with poor monsoon, as a precautionary measure. Irrigation minister Devineni Umamaheswara Rao said the government is hopeful that there would be normal monsoon this year.
Speaking to this newspaper, he said the India Meteorological Department (IMD) also expected an early monsoon. However, the government is thinking of alternative ways to deal with the situation, if the monsoon is delayed.
