Rayalaseema region eyes surplus waters from Krishna sources from Srisailam
Anantapur: Surplus water from Krishna sources from Srisailam has become the main source for Rayalaseema region and hopes were high following attractive inflows into the Srisailam reservoir during this season, while the major source of Tungabhadra failed to meet demands.
Increased silt in the Tungabhadra reservoir further cut the allocations. This year, records revealed that shortage of more than 30 TMC ft was recorded in TB dam, as compared to last year.
The longest water canal project and Asia’s biggest Lift Irrigation project Handri-Neeva Sujala Sravanthi and the Galeru Nagari Sujala Shravanthi are hoped to meet the drinking water needs of all three corporations and a majority of the municipalities and mandals in the reg-ion, in addition to large-scale use for agriculture.
HNSS phase I and II designed to meet drinking water needs of 33 lakh people by utilising 40 tmc of water from Krishna river, Galeru Nagari phase I to irrigate farm land in Kadapa, Chittoor, and Nellore districts and pending works of Telugu Ganga project to benefit the ayacut in Kurnool, Kadapa, Nellore, and Chittoor are targeted for completion this year.
For HNSS two phases and GNSS phase I, a target has been set to provide water for the kharif by filling the tanks of connecting canals.
Further, the second phase of the HNSS project, the priority is to push water first through eight pumps into the HNSS main canal and fill all the tanks first that will recharge bore wells.
The lift canal with a length of nearly 550 km, takes off from the backwaters of Srisailam reservoir at Malyala and routed along the hill ridges up to high lands in Chittoor district via Kurnool, Anantapur and Kadapa districts with many lifts / pumping stations.
While the project was conceived to help the drought-hit area through drawing of flood waters, filling of Srisailam reservoir with heavy inflows raised the hopes of farmers.
Minister Paritala Sunitha who recently released water towards Gollapalli reservoir of HNSS in Anantapur said, phase II project would be a war against the drought in the region and all tanks would get filled in coming years.
Subramanya Sharma, an irrigation expert, observed the removal of silt in TB dam was not possible and there are no chances to get addition quota, but the Srisailam backwater would help all parts.
YSRC MLA Y.Visweswar Reddy observed that still many projects including drinking water pipeline projects like Neelakantapuram Srirami Reddy, JC Nagireddy and Rayadurg projects faced shortage due to lack of allocations from Tungabhadra reservoir. The government should make assured allocations, he stressed.
