‘Irrigation projects in Rayalaseema are dependent on flood waters’

Rayalaseema Rashtra Samiti President Kuncham Venkatasubba Reddy on Wednesday said a concerted struggle was imperative for irrigation water share to the perennially drought-prone Rayalaseema region.
Referring to Jalayagnam, Mr. Reddy asserted in a press conference here that irrigation projects undertaken in Telangana and coastal Andhra regions had assured water supply, but those in Rayalaseema had no water allocation and were dependent on flood waters.
The region has witnessed several droughts since 1876 and is affected by drought almost every alternate year, he said. If the projects in the region are not allocated water, the region could be desertified and future generations will not pardon the leaders, he asserted.
Andhra Pradesh is getting 2,746 tmc. river water including 1,494 tmc. of Godavari water, 811 tmc. of Krishna water, 98 tmc. of Pennar water and 342 tmc. from other water sources, Mr. Venkatasubba Reddy said. If the water was equitably allotted to the three regions having a total extent of 6.78 crore acres, each acre should get .0000405 tmc per acre. Going by this ratio, 1.65 crore acres in Rayalaseema should get 671.49 tmc., 2.83 crore acres in Telangana should get 1,148.63 tmc. and 2.28 crore acres in coastal Andhra should get 929.95 tmc., he explained.
However, water allocation for Rayalaseema region was a meagre 122.70 tmc. including 39.90 tmc. for KC Canal, 29.50 tmc. for Tungabhadra Low-Level Canal, 32.50 tmc. for Tungabhadra High-Level Canal, 4.90 tmc. for Bhairavathippa project, two tmc. for Gajuladinne project and 13.90 tmc. under minor irrigation tanks, the RRS President said. Statistics reveal that Rayalaseema was getting only 18 per cent of the assured water due to it, he said.
The neglect of the region’s irrigation interests was evident by the situation, he said. He demanded allotment of assured water for projects undertaken under Jalayagnam scheme. They included 45 tmc. for Handri Neeva Sujala Sravanthi, 38 tmc. for Galeru Nagari Sujala Sravanthi, 45 tmc. for Telugu Ganga project, 19 tmc. for Srisailam Right Branch Canal and 44 tmc. for Veligonda project. He also demanded the implementation of the recommendations of the Khosla Committee.
  • ‘The region could become a desert and future generations will not pardon the leaders’
  • ‘Statistics reveal that Rayalaseema is getting only 18 per cent of the assured water’