The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : Alamatti showcases contrasting picture

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Jul 24, 2004

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

Alamatti showcases contrasting picture

By M. Malleswara Rao

HYDERABAD, JULY 23. Farmers squirm with unease at the mention of Alamatti as all the projects on the Krishna in the State are almost empty for the fourth year in a row due to the Upper Krishna dam in Karnataka.

A day after the Chief Minister's Delhi mission, the projects in the two States present contrasting pictures.

Even after 40 days of the onset of the monsoon, which saw sufficient inflows, the storages in Srisailam, Nagarjunasagar, Jurala and Prakasam Barrage remain precariously below their minimum draw-down levels (MDDL).

The Upper Krishna chain consisting of Alamatti, Narayanpur and Hippagiri are almost full.

The full-scale impounding in the chain has postponed the kharif sowing, mostly paddy, in a massive ayacut of 43.25 lakh acres in nine districts, threatening the economy of India's "rice bowl."

The ayacut is under Prakasam Barrage/Krishna detla (14 lakh acres), Nagarjunasagar Right and Left canals (11.5 lakh acres each), Jurala (1 lakh), K. C. Canal supplemented by Srisailam (2.75 lakh), Srisailam Right Bank Canal (1 lakh) and Telugu Ganga (1.5 lakh acres).

Farmers distressed

The farmers who reconciled themselves to the yearly delay in the season are more distressed with Alamatti unfolding a totally new scenario this year by not letting out even minor releases.

They are more worried, as the request by the Chief Minister, Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy, for 50 tmcft of water has failed to evoke any response so far.

As of Friday, Alamatti and Narayanpur were left with a gap of only 5 ft and 1 ft, respectively to reach their FRL. It is learnt that Karnataka does not want to honour Andhra Pradesh's request due to its own political compulsions and under the circumstances, only overflow will have to come to the rescue of the State's farmers. Nevertheless, even such an outcome may not help the situation immediately, because Srisailam and Nagarjunasagar will have to fill a big gap before reaching their MDDLs of 800 ft and 510 ft, respectively.

Comfortable position

Irrigation officials believe that Karnataka requires only 100 tmcft out of its present storage, roughly about 150 tmcft, for the 10 lakh acres of the developed ayacut out of the designed 16 lakh acres under the Upper Krishna chain and that it should part with a fraction as a friendly gesture to the neighbour instead of impounding further.

Compared with the surplus upstream, the availability in Srisailam and Nagarjunasagar have sunken below the dead storages. Srisailam and Nagarjunasagar stand at 789 ft and 494 ft with a meagre storage of 42 tmcft and 178 tmcft, against their full capacities of 308 tmcft and 408 tmcft. Jurala has been reduced to a small-time lake with only 6 tmcft.

If the State is to forego sowing for the kharif season in its ayacut this year, its foodgrain production may decline by 80 lakh tonnes.

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