ANANTAPUR: The Irrigation Advisory Board (IAB) meeting of the district held here on Tuesday decided to release water to the High-Level Main Canal and Guntakal Branch Canal ayacut under Tungabhadra High-Level Canal from July 29. Farmers will be given water for a maximum of 120 days.

It was unanimously resolved to give water to the ayacut above Mid Pennar Reservoir for kharif and below it for rabi. While HLMC and GBC would get water in kharif, the other five sub-systems - MP South Canal, MP North Canal, Tadipatri Branch Canal and Pulivendula Branch Canal - would be given water for rabi. The sub-systems chosen for rabi would get water from November 6. The district Collector, Y.V. Anuradha, explained that the Tungabhadra Board had assessed the water availability in the inter-State water project at 144.3 tmc ft this year and the pro-rata allocation for the State share in HLC was estimated at 22.12 tmc ft. Water to the HLC would be released at the dam on July 10. She explained that pro-rata allocations to different sub-systems of HLC were 3.969 tmc ft to

HLMC, 3.735 to GBC, 2.342 to MPSC, 1.016 to MPNC, 2.006 to TBC, 2.385 to PBC, 2.168 to Mylavaram reservoir and 4.5 tmc ft to drinking water needs. In all, it was proposed to irrigate 1,16,280 acres this year with 20,040 acres under HLMC and GBC for wet crops and to 96,240 acres under all sub-systems including HLMC and GBC for irrigated dry crops.

The Collector pointed out that 1,776 farmers had cultivated wet crops in 3,080 hectares last year illegally. They were imposed a penalty of Rs. 24 lakhs. Farmers in Bommanahal, Kanekal and Rayadurg mandals had come forward to cultivate SRI variety of paddy, which requires less water, in about 5,000 acres this year.

An extensive awareness drive would be taken up in the area from July 10 to 26 to inform and train the interested farmers in SRI paddy cultivation. NGOs too would be involved in the exercise.

The Collector urged farmers not to cultivate crops like chilli and cotton as the water availability was less this year as only about 11 tmc ft water would be available for irrigation. She expressed concern over legislators meddling with shutters. On the demand of the Uravakonda MLA, P. Keshav, to advance water release to GBC by 10 days, the Collector and the Panchayat Raj Minister, J.C. Diwakar Reddy, promised to consider it. Mr. Diwakar Reddy said he would not allow chilli cultivation in TBC this year.

Interestingly, the aspects of modernisation of MPSC and repairs to distributaries in MPNC and TBC, due to which water release below MPR had been postponed to rabi, were not even mentioned in the meeting. Conspicuously enough, there was no mention of other irrigation projects like Maddileru, Pedaballi, Bhairavani Thippa, Chennarayaswamy Gudi and Upper Pennar, which have ayacut.

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