The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : Chances of water supply to rabi crop dim

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Nov 30, 2004

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

Chances of water supply to rabi crop dim

By Our Staff Reporter

KURNOOL, NOV. 29. The chances of water supply to the rabi crop under the Tungabhadra Low Level Canal (LLC) in Kurnool district appear be dim this season. A final decision would be taken at the Irrigation Advisory Board meeting soon. Meanwhile, irrigation officials propose to extend the supply for the kharif till December 15 instead of November 30 proposed earlier.

Poor realisation in the Tungabhadra reservoir, problems associated with transmission of water from the dam to the ayacut area, which is 250 km away, and growing demand for drinking water are believed to have compelled the authorities to declare a crop holiday.

Low realisation

Against the expected 150 tmcft, the revised estimates show that realisation in the Tungabhadra reservoir at Hospet could not be more than 133 tmcft. The prorata allotment to LLC is 15.056 tmcft. So far, the LLC farmers utilised 7.879 tmcft and a total of 1.793 tmcft was needed till the completion of the kharif crop, which was transplanted on 43,500 acres. About 5.384 tmcft will be left for the rabi crop.

The irrigation authorities explained to the district administration that after reserving 2 tmcft for drinking water needs for 200 villages, only 3.38 tmcft would be left for rabi crop which would be sufficient for only about 20,000 acres. The officials found it difficult to organise irrigation only for a limited area.

Meanwhile, water supply under the KC canal is likely to be extended till the end of January to help farmers harvest paddy sown late. The canal would take assistance from the TB dam till January 20. The KC Canal is entitled to prorata allotment of 6.274 tmcft this year. So far, 0.422 tmcft was utilised and a quantity of 3.841 tmcft is required to support the canal till January.

Large area

About 2.24 lakh acres was cultivated under the KC canal in Kurnool and Cuddapah districts as against the authorised ayacut of 1.75 lakh acres. Such a large extent was cultivated this year under the canal after a gap of ten years. The KC canal utilised about 18.6 tmcft at Sunkesula and another eight to nine tmcft from the Srisailam. According to an estimate, around 53 tmcft was realised at Sunkesula in the Tungabhadra river and round 2.5 tmcft escaped through the vent.

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