Godavari Water Sustains Krishna Delta Irrigation Amid Low Reservoir Levels
Godavari water pumped through the Pattiseema Lift Irrigation Project is sustaining irrigation in the Krishna delta as poor monsoon inflows have left major reservoirs at low levels during the Kharif season.
Godavari waters are helping sustain irrigation in the Krishna delta during the ongoing Kharif season, even as poor rainfall in upstream catchment areas of both the Godavari and Krishna rivers has drastically reduced inflows into the reservoirs under the two rivers due to the El Nino factor.
Andhra Pradesh government has directed the Water Resources department to ensure supply of Godavari water to the Krishna delta through the Pattiseema Lift Irrigation Project to support Kharif cultivation and meet drinking water requirements if needed.
The NDA alliance government took the step as inflows from the Nagarjunasagar and Pulichintala projects into the Prakasam Barrage are grossly inadequate.
At present, around 2,200 cusecs of water is being discharged downstream from the Sir Arthur Cotton Barrage at Dowleswaram, while 14,700 cusecs is being released into irrigation canals.
Water Resources officials are monitoring water levels in the Godavari round the clock. Water is being lifted when the Godavari level at Pattiseema is remaining above 14 metres. Polavaram Left Main Canal superintending engineer D. Yesu Babu said a team of officials is continuously monitoring river level and operating the required number of pumps at Pattiseema, which has in all 24 pumps.
Officials started pumping Godavari water to the Krishna delta on July 8. Around 8 TMC feet of water has been diverted so far for ensuring water supply to farmers in the Krishna delta spread over 13.08 lakh acres across NTR, Krishna, and Palnadu districts. Krishna district alone has a command area extending over nearly 3.5 lakh acres.
Farmers with access to borewells and canal water have begun cultivating mainly paddy. Others are waiting for irrigation water or rainfall. They will wait until August 15. If water still remains unavailable, they may skip Kharif cultivation. Instead, they will take up sowing of pulses as an early Rabi crop, according to Krishna district Agriculture joint director K. Jyothi Ramani.
Farmers of other Krishna delta districts too are facing uncertainty due to inadequate irrigation water.
Reservoir status
Srisailam: 41.41 TMC feet (19.23 per cent) against a gross capacity of 215.81 TMC feet.
Nagarjunasagar: 137.32 TMC feet (44 per cent) against its full reservoir level of 312 TMC feet.
Pulichintala: 29.32 TMC feet (63 per cent) against its full reservoir level of 45.77 TMC feet.
Prakasam Barrage: 2.97 TMC feet (96 per cent) against its full reservoir level of 3.07 TMC feet.
Sir Arthur Cotton Barrage:* 2.93 TMC feet (100 per cent).
