Irrigation Minister T. Harish Rao has said that with the deficient rainfall this year government wants to use the 15 tmcf water available in the Sri Ram Sagar Project (SRSP) judiciously indicating no possibility of releasing for kharif activities on which ayacut farmers have been agitating.
Whatever amount of water is there in the reservoir would suffice only for drinking purposes after evaporation losses and maintenance of dead storage level. If rains played a truant this season it would be very difficult for drinking water in case water was released for cultivation in the ayacut, he said.
Waiting for rains
Given the prevailing conditions his department was assessing the needs of farmers under Kakatiya, Saraswathi and Laxmi canals with utmost care. Government was ready to give water provided bountiful rains occurred upstream and good amount of water comes in the reservoir. “We are monitoring the situation at the field-level,” he said without making a commitment on the demand of farmers.
He was attending the review on the water position in SRSP held at Agriculture Minister P. Srinivas Reddy’s camp office in Hyderabad on Saturday in the wake of ongoing agitations at Pochampad and in ayacut villages for the release of water. Member of Parliament K. Kavitha, Mission Bhagiratha vice-chairman V. Prashanth Reddy, MLAs Bajireddy Govardhan, A. Jeevan Reddy, Shakeel Amir and K. Vidyasagar Rao, Sanjay, TRS in-charge of Jagityal constituency, Irrigation Engineer-in-Chief Muralidhar and SRSP CE Shankar participated in the review.
Next Yasangi
Mr. Harish Rao said that for the restoration of past glory to the SRSP the project rejuvenation work was going on at a brisk pace with an outlay of ₹1,100 crore. The government’s idea was to ensure plenty of supply for two crops by completing restoration works by Yasangi next year, he added.
Without taking names he criticized political parties and their leaders for their selfishness in provoking farmers and appealed the latter not to get carried away with the speeches.
“Farmers’ welfare is very important for the TRS government led by Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao. The farmers should understand that and cooperate,” he said.