Kaleshwaram’s absence looms large over Yasangi season in Telangana

Telangana is staring at the possibility of the crucial Yasangi crop season taking a major hit with the government citing shortage of water to irrigate ayacut areas of several projects.

Hyderabad: Telangana is staring at the possibility of the crucial Yasangi crop season taking a major hit with the government citing shortage of water to irrigate ayacut areas of several projects.

Much of the Krishna basin ayacut was in the grips of acute scarcity conditions and a crop holiday was already declared in part of the ayacut, especially in 6.3 lakh acres under the Nagarjuna Sagar Project left canal in the absence of adequate inflows into the Krishna basin projects. Now, ringing more alarm bells, uncertainty looms large over irrigation support to a major extent in the Godavari basin as well.

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A major reason for the shortage of water was the three key barrages of the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Scheme, a project repeatedly derided by the Congress, being drained for rehabilitation works with the Medigadda pillars sinking. However, even when all the projects integrated with the multi stage project holding just six tmc less water compared to last year, the government appears to be throwing up its hands citing severe shortage of water.

The Sriram Sagar has 63.19 tmc as part of its present storage as against the gross storage capacity of 90 tmc. The project was expected to support an ayacut of 11.55 lakh acres. It includes 9.65 lakh acres in the SRSP stage I. But the irrigation department decided to give water to only 8.28 lakh acres and 3.87 lakh acres of it was irrigated dry.

As for the SRSP stage II, irrigation was restricted to only 2 lakh acres as against the total ayacut of 3.71 lakh acres. While the focus was much on restricting the crop area under the Nizam Sagar, Gutpa and Alisagar projects to the extent possible, the government opted for a crop holiday under the Kaddam project and Sadarmat too.

With almost all the pump houses at the key barrages of the KLIS becoming non operational, the State government has made no secret of its helplessness in giving full-fledged supply to the localized ayacut.

All the projects integrated with the KLIS had helped in extending irrigation to over 35 lakh acres during the last three years. However, this has come down to only 28 lakh acres this year. Only irrigated dry crops were allowed to a major extent. In this backdrop, Irrigation Minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy has openly acknowledged that the government would not be able to ensure full-fledged supply to the entire ayacut.

With both the NSP and the Srisailam project storages fast dipping, the fate of the drinking water supply was also facing a crisis. The State has to plan for meeting all its needs till the onset of monsoons. Though the government has been trying to seek releases from the Karnataka projects, it appears to be a remote possibility.