Lifting of water for Rajiv Bheema Lift Irrigation Scheme (Phase-2) commenced on Tuesday evening with Minister for Agriculture S. Niranjan Reddy switching on the motors at the pump house located near Tirumalayapalli village in Wanaparthy district.
A total of 1.7 lakh acres ayacut is intended to be irrigated under the two phases of the lift irrigation scheme this season. Pumping of water from Bheema Phase-1 started on July 6 itself. According to officials, Bheema Phase-2 would irrigate about 48,000 acres ayacut in Wanaparthy, Devarakadra and Kollapur constituencies. Phase-1 would irrigate about 1.25 lakh acres.
He said that in spite of relief and rehabilitation problems, water was being given to the ayacut from 2015. Other irrigation systems based on Jurala reservoir water such as Nettempadu and Koilsagar lift irrigation schemes and filling of tanks under Jurala, Right, Left and Parallel Canal systems has already commenced.
He said that pumps of the Mahatma Gandhi Kalwakurthy Lift Irrigation Scheme too would be switched on once the water released from Jurala reaches the pumping station located on the foreshores of Srisailam reservoir. Devarakadra legislator A. Venkateshwar Reddy, Collector Shaik Yasmin Basha and others attended.
