45 years on, Kothagudem’s Mukamamidi project cries for attention

According to irrigation officials the project needed Rs 21 crore for taking up repair works alone.

Kothagudem: The Mukamamidi irrigation project, built 45 years ago, in Mulakalapalli mandal in the district, is crying for attention.

The project with a volume content of 160 million cubic feet is spread over 378 acres. This project is a rain-fed project and meant to provide irrigation to farm fields in Kurupulagudem, Rangapuram, Mukamamidi, Mogaralagutta, Mulkalapally and others. The foundation stone for the dam was laid in 1978 by the then Chief Minister of erstwhile Andhra Pradesh Jalagam Vengala Rao. It was inaugurated in 1980 by the then Chief Minister Marri Chenna Reddy. About 3260 acres could be cultivated through this project, whose source is Pamuleru stream, a tributary of river Godavari. Officials said 15,570 cusecs of water would be discharged through the right and left canals of the project. However, the project later was left to its fate and is currently in a dilapidated state.As the project reached dead storage level in summer, local farmers stayed off farm activity in the Yasangi season. There are no signs of crops like paddy getting cultivated in the Vanakalam season either as the gates of the dam are in a damaged condition, said a farmer, Are Ramesh.

---

BJP district president Ranga Kiran who visited the project recently at the request of the local farmers said the previous BRS government had sanctioned about Rs.9 crore in 2019 for development of the project and works worth Rs 6 crore have been completed. Speaking to Telangana Today Kiran said the project gates were in a dilapidated condition because of which the water would flow out through these canals and the farmers could not get water when they need it. The dam’s weir was damaged at a couple of places and accumulation of silt reduced its storage capacity.

According to irrigation officials the project needed Rs 21 crore for taking up repair works alone. The Congress government should release Rs.50 crore to carry out repairs, to remove the silt and to develop it as a tourist spot as it is located in a forest area, the BJP leader said.