KARIMNAGAR: It was really a dream come true for the farming community of upland Sircilla revenue division with the filling of the prestigious Upper Manair Dam (UMD) project in Narmal village of Gambhiraopeta mandal after a gap of 11 years in the district.

Thanks to the torrential rains during the last three days, the project has received copious inflows filling to its brim and overflowing. The farmers of Gambhiraopeta, Yellareddypet, Mustabad, Illanthakunta and Bejjinki mandals, who were starved of water for irrigation and drinking requirements, are jubilant following the news of UMD receiving copious inflows.

The UMD medium irrigation project is the only source of irrigation for the upland mandals in the Sircilla division. The dam was constructed by the Nizam some five decades ago and the full reservoir level of the project is 1,482 feet and it provides irrigation sources to 5,296 hectares. Besides, the surplus water flowing into the Lower Manair Dam (LMD) in Karimnagar town will meet the irrigation and drinking water requirements of both Karimnagar and Warangal districts.

With the project receiving heavy inflows and the surplus waters flowing downstream to the LMD reservoir in Karimnagar town, the farmers and the district officials are in an upbeat mood as the region has been facing continuous drought since a decade.

Poll promise

During the last elections, the UMD project was in the news with all the political parties making tall claims about lifting Godavari waters to fill this project. Chief Minister Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy, when in opposition, launched his padayatra from this parched project in the district and promised to take measures for filling the project by lifting Godavari waters from the SRSP flood flow canal.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail