Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao has asked the irrigation engineers to take up works pertaining to lifting of three tmcft of water from Kaleshwaram project so that it could be diverted to the needy areas during the next flood season itself.
In a marathon meeting with Ministers of districts in the Godavari Basin, officials and engineers of the Irrigation Department, that went on for nearly eight hours on Sunday, the Chief Minister told the engineers to start impounding lakes and ponds as soon as the projects start getting fresh water. For the purpose, required distributary canals and off-take sluices should be taken up and completed, wherever required, he said.
Stating that the focus should on filling all minor irrigation tanks, lakes and ponds, he said district-wise meetings should be held over the next two-three days so that the problems and hurdles in filling the tanks could be discussed to resolve them. Before that the irrigation engineers should encourage farmers to take the silt from tank beds voluntarily and dump it in their fields to improve fertility of the soil, he said. The Chief Minister instructed the committee of Engineers-in-Chief to decide whether it is possible to improve the carrying capacity of canal from the Lower Manair Dam from the existing 6,000 cusecs to 9,000 cusecs or whether a new parallel canal system is needed to take more water to the areas below the project. He told the engineers to irrigate 16,41,284 acres ayacut under Sriramsagar project canal systems during the coming Vaanakalam crop season.
‘Reorganise the dept.’
Suggesting the officials to reorganise the Irrigation Department as per the present and future requirements, the Chief Minister said every project must have operation and maintenance manual. He also wanted the officials to arrange new water gauges at all projects and also establish a real time data operating system with advanced technology for management of water so that every drop of water is put to productive use.
On the works of Kaleshwaram project to lift and utilise 2 tmc ft water every day, the Chief Minister directed the engineers to complete construction of all pump houses before the commencement of flood season. Pumping of water to Kondapochammasagar be taken up by the month-end. He also told the engineers to fill Tapaspally reservoir with Mallannasagar water and provide water to Mothkur, Adda Gudur, Cheryal, Maddur, Komaravelli and Chilpur mandals.
Further, he wanted completion of the Gouravelli lift so that water can be given in the coming flood season itself. Asking the engineers to operate Devadula project throughout the year, the Chief Minister wanted speeding up of Smmakka Barrage works and giving water to 77,000 acres under Thotapally canal.
