CM water gift angers T-leaders

Krishna Delta to get 3,000 cusecs per day for 30 days from Sagar

In an unprecedented move Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy on Friday directed the irrigation department to release water from the dead storage of the Nagarjunasagar dam to Prakasam Barrage.

The water will enable farmers to start sowing and save 13 lakh acres in the Krishna Delta going dry in the Kharif season on account of poor rainfall.

However, the CM’s decision sparked protests from both TRS and Congress leaders from Telangana region, who vehemently condemned the move as a discrimination against farmers in the Telangana region who are also deprived of water.

The Chief Minister held a meeting with major irrigation minister P. Sudarshan Reddy and other officials to review the situation in the Krishna Delta.

He was told that unless farmers receive adequate water supply, farming in 13 lakh acres under the ayacut, spread over Krishna, Guntur, Prakasam and West Godavari districts would be badly affected.

With no other alternative in sight, the CM took the hard decision to release water from dead storage of Nagarjunasagar dam through river sluices situated 180 km upstream of the Prakasam Barrage.

After the meeting, Mr Sudarshan Reddy told mediapersons that from Friday night, the dam will release a total quantum of 15 TMC ft of water at the rate of 3,000 cusecs per day for 30 days. He said the Chief Minister also directed the officials to take necessary action to protect the seed beds until the rains come and water levels increase.

The minister also informed that the Met Department has predicted the likelihood of good rains in the Southern Peninsula in the coming days.

Water levels of Nagarjunasagar on Friday stood at 511.2 ft against the full capacity of 590 ft, and current storage of 133.72 TMC ft against gross storage of 312 TMC ft.

As of now Almatti, Narayanpur, Tungabhadra, Jurala, Srisailam and Nagarjunasagar dams have registered no inflows on account of negligible rains in the Krishna river catchment area.

Meanwhile, senior TRS leader T. Harish Rao demanded the resignation of Mr Sudarshan Reddy, who hails from Telangana region, for saying God alone can save Telangana farmers.

Mr Rao said with NS dam touching its Minimum Draw Down Level if water is released through river sluices to Prakasam Barrage, the fate of the people from the twin cities, Nalgonda, Mahbubnagar and Ranga Reddy districts, who depend on it for drinking water, will become precarious.

He asked what the CM plans to do if rains fail and seed beds dry up despite releasing the water.

Congress MP Palvai Govardhan Reddy also expressed similar sentiments.