Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy has asked officials of the Water Resources Department to plan for infrastructure that is needed to fill the projects quickly with Krishna flood waters.

At a review meeting organised at his camp office at Tadepalli here on Thursday, Mr. Jagan Mohan Reddy said the conventional plan of filling the projects with flood water in over 120 days should be done away with.

“Plans should be made to fill the projects that are dependent on Krishna water within 30 or 40 days,” the Chief Minister said.

There was a flood in the Krishna twice this rainy season, but the same could not be expected again, he told the officials.

R&R work

A special officer was appointed to monitor the Rehabilitation and Resettlement (R&R) work under the Polavaram project, he said. Top priority should be given to provide R&R to those living in habitations affected by the recent floods, and they should not be subjected to the same ordeal ever again, the Chief Minister told the officials.

When the Chief Minister sought to know why the flood water could not be taken to the Rayalaseema projects though 44,000 cusecs, the full capacity of the Pothireddypadu Head Regulator, was released from the Srisailam reservoir, the officials told him that water did not flow fast enough because the canals were not yet lined.

On the Veligonda project, the officials told the Chief Minister that another 1.56-km of the first tunnel was yet to be completed. Work on the second tunnel also needed to be completed, they said.

Land acquisition

Referring to the Chintalapudi Lift Irrigation scheme, the officials informed Mr. Jagan Mohan Reddy that an extent of 600 acres was needed for its completion, and that land acquisition turned out to be an obstacle.

The Chief Minister directed the officials come up with a plan to improve green cover in the drought-prone Palnadu area.

The Chief Minister also reviewed that progress of works on the retaining wall and lining of the Vamsadhara project canals, Thotapalli distributary canals and Tarakarama project works.

He also asked the officials to prepare district-wise reports on the status of various irrigation projects, and emphasised the need for executing them without giving scope for irregularities.

The Chief Minister also asked the officials to ensure that there were no inter-district disputes over irrigation water.

He also wanted the officials to ensure that water resources were not polluted because of aquaculture. The incidence of cancer, which was rare, had now become prolific, he told the officials.