Severe water crisis stares at Telangana as water levels in irrigation projects deplete

Political parties have been raising concern over the prospect of rabi crops getting impacted in over 10 lakh acres

Hyderabad: A severe water crisis is staring at Telangana. The dwindling water levels in major irrigation projects such as the Sripada Yellampalli, Sriram Sagar and Nagarjuna Sagar are not just affecting crops, but could also lead to drinking water shortages by May. The situation is critical. Political parties have been raising concern over the prospect of rabi crops getting impacted in over 10 lakh acres.

The Rabi farmers in the Godavari basin projects in Telangana are grappling with a severe water crisis. The Sripada Yellampalli project, which has a gross storage capacity of 20.18 TMC, currently holds only 12 TMC of water. This is significantly below the minimum requirement of 15 TMC needed for drinking water supply to the command area towns and villages, including Hyderabad, which relies on this project for emergency drinking water supplies.

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The Sriram Sagar Project (SRSP) is also in a dire state. It has only 26 TMC of water in current storage against its gross capacity of 90.31 TMC. Despite maximum inflows this year, the crops under the SRSP Stage II, mainly in Nalgonda, Suryapet and Mahabubabad, have dried up significantly, adding to the farm sector crisis. The crops under the SRSP Stage I are also impacted, with around 2,000 irrigation tanks on the verge of drying up, affecting drinking water supply in the villages and habitations relying on them. This situation is expected to impact groundwater levels as well.

The irrigation support planned for 4.42 lakh acres during the Yasangi season in Nizamabad, Jagtial, Karimnagar and Peddapalli districts is now uncertain. Water supply to the Kakatiya canal zones, which began in December, is set to stop by April 10. Delayed crop transplantation and extended harvest periods due to the lack of water supply have put farmers at a risk of huge losses. Already, over one lakh acres of crops in the tail-end areas of the SRSP project are badly affected by partial water supply.

The Devadula Project, aimed at providing irrigation water to the farmers in the ayacut area, is facing severe challenges. The lack of proper water supply has left Rabi crops dry, causing distress among farmers. The Congress government‘s negligence in maintaining the canal system has aggravated the situation. Farmers in Hanamkonda and Jangaon districts are struggling to save their crops due to the lack of a proper water supply plan for the Rabi season.

The government’s failure to pay the bills for the pipeline maintenance has led to a halt in water pumping. The damage suffered by crops is extensive. Nearly 60 per cent of the crops in Devaruppula mandal are drying up. The lack of water in various reservoirs and failure to release water from the Devadula project have left farmers in a desperate situation.

As for the Krishna basin projects, the water level in the NSP, which is crucial for drinking water supply for Hyderabad city, Nalgonda, Suryapet and Khammam towns is fast depleting. The KRMB had already directed Andhra Pradesh to restrict its use to only meet the drinking water needs, but it continued to draw water to the right canal for irrigation purposes. Sensing the threat of a mid-May crisis, the Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (HMWS&SB) has been making arrangements in advance to start emergency pumping from the Nagarjuna Sagar project.

The present storage in the NSP is 150 TMC against the gross storage of 312 TMC. The minimum drawdown level being 510 feet, the water level has already dipped to 520 feet in the project. In the Srisailam project, the present storage is only 69 TMC, with the net drawable by both States being close to 50 per cent of it.