The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh / Guntur News : Six LI schemes await release of water

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Sunday, Aug 01, 2004

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh - Guntur

Six LI schemes await release of water

By Ramesh Susarla

GUNTUR, JULY 31. About 10,000 acres of new ayacut will come under irrigation with six new lift irrigation schemes ready to cater to the needs of farmers in Guntur district, but all of them are eagerly awaiting water to be released from the Nagarjunasagar Project Right Canal for them to be functional.

The Andhra Pradesh State Irrigation Development Corporation completed execution of these schemes in Chilakaluripet, Macherla, Prathipadu, Vinukonda and six more are in the various stages of implementation with an estimated cost of Rs. 24 crores, the APSIDC Executive Engineer, P. Ramachandraiah, told The Hindu.

Stone laying

The Chief Minister, Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy, would lay foundation for two lift irrigation schemes at Talluru and Balusupadu in Pedakurapadu constituency on August 8 to bring an additional 8,500 acres under its ayacut, he said. These projects were part of 12 schemes that had administrative sanction to be implemented at a cost of Rs. 46 crores.

While the LI schemes under the Krishna Western Delta canals were functional, those under the NSP canals in the Chilakaluripet and Vinukonda, Macherla areas remained defunct due to lack of water for the past two years, he said. The average functionality of these schemes was only 50 per cent for various reasons - availability of water, power etc.

Revival package

With the completion of these LI projects, 85,000 acres would be having infrastructure for Irrigated Dry (ID) crops, but functionally only 50 per cent of the designed area gets covered. Ironically majority of the ayacutdars under these schemes go for water-intensive wet crops, as there was less risk compared to the ID commercial crops reducing the total ayacut.

Of the 112 LI schemes commissioned in the district, 62 were defunct for want of major repairs and a Rs. 1.96-crore package was sanctioned six months ago. While work on half of them was completed, the remaining would also be made functional to cater to kharif season needs, Mr. Ramachandraiah said.

Power supply

The major lacuna lay in the power supply position for agriculture sector, he said. While majority of the schemes were designed for 16-hour pumping, the Government was supplying only 9 hours drastically reducing the efficiency. A few of the schemes grounded in the last five years had been designed for 12-hour power supply, but for effective coverage of the ayacut the number of power supply hours had to be increased, he opined.

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