The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : Godavari water for Telangana in the pipeline

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Jan 14, 2005

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

Godavari water for Telangana in the pipeline

By Our Special Correspondent

The Chief Minister, Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy, having a word with his Cabinet colleague during the stone- laying ceremony of the Krishna water supply scheme in Ranga Reddy district on Thursday. Photo: Satish H.

GUNAGAL, JAN.13. Plans are afoot for fully tapping Godavari waters to meet the irrigation and drinking water needs of Telangana, the Chief Minister, Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy, declared here on Thursday.

Laying the foundation stone for the first phase of a Rs.70-crore project to provide Krishna waters to 85 fluoride-affected and en route habitations in Ranga Reddy district, he said he had asked officials to prepare plans regarding the feasibility of utilising Godavari waters. He was confident that the good news would be announced in three to six months.

Pointing out that lift irrigation scheme to pump waters to a height of 610 metres was executed in Colarado, USA, he underlined the need to make use of the technological advancements to bring Godavari waters to the upland areas of Telangana.

Water going waste

About 3,000 tmcft of Godavari waters was going waste into the sea, he said adding that Godavari and Krishna should be linked to bring waters through lift irrigation to upland areas in Telangana.

He reiterated the Government's determination to provide irrigation facilities to an additional 65 lakh acres in the next five years to convert the State into "Harithandhra Pradesh".

Referring to the project for which he had laid the foundation stone, he said that it was a major scheme aimed at providing safe drinking water to 511 villages, including 274 fluoride-hit ones, in the districts of Ranga Reddy (85), Nalgonda (394) and Mahbubnagar (32). The Government had no funds and had to borrow from HUDCO, which was financing 85 per cent cost of the Rs.150-crore project.

The project was formulated following representations from people to provide safe drinking water during his `Rajiv Palle Baata' programme. The administrative sanction was accorded on December 22 and the whole scheme was expected to be completed by August.

In Ranga Reddy, the scheme seeks to provide comprehensive drinking water to 232 problematic habitations in the mandals of Ibrahimpatnam, Manchal, Yacharam, Maheshwaram, Kandukur, Shamshabad, Saroornagar and Hayatnagar mandals en route HMWS&SB pipeline to Hyderabad from Nagarjunasagar under Krishna water supply project.

Referring to the problem of fluorosis, he emphasised that awareness should be created among the people to prevent its recurrence. One of the reasons for it was the indiscriminate use of bore wells. He stressed the need to regulate the digging of borewells depending on the availability of ground water.

Plea for houses

The Minister for Mines and Geology, P. Sabita Reddy, Minor Irrigation Minister A. Chandrasekhar, have requested the Chief Minister to sanction additional houses under the weaker sections housing scheme to the district. S. Sudhakar Reddy, MP, urged Dr. Reddy to sympathetically consider the demand for upgrading Ibrahimpatnam into a municipality. The Ibrahimpatnam MLA, M. Narasimha, also spoke.

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