The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : Water row hots up

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Tuesday, Feb 12, 2008
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Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

Water row hots up

M. Malleswara Rao

HYDERABAD: The Government is in a tight spot with more claimants for the Telugu Ganga project water.

Farmers from Giddalur and other villages in Saidapuram mandal of Nellore district are agitating demanding release of water from the Kandaleru, a balancing reservoir of the Telugu Ganga canal.

They want a chain of tanks to be filled with water to save their crops on over 5,000 acres.

The fields, however, are outside the ayacut of the Telugu Ganga and therefore their demand is seen as “unjust”.

In a fresh development, the management of Raghuram Cements has sought two tmcft annually from the Somasila project, another balancing reservoir of the canal upstream of Kandaleru, to its factory coming up in Kadapa district.

Other new industries are seeking another 10 tmcft. The pleas for water have been made in view of a better dependability in the Telugu Ganga system.

A study revealed that water would not be available at required level in the Chitravathi-Mylavaram-Gandikota system, as originally anticipated to serve the industries. Telugu Ganga has been tapped to improve the drinking water supply to Tirupati. Water is being illegally drawn by farmers en route to Chennai. In future the Telugu Ganga will have heavy commitments to meet.

Speaking to The Hindu here B. V. S. Prakasa Rao, engineer-in-chief, Telugu Ganga, admitted that 44 tmcft was available in Kandaleru, as never before during any year, but ruled out water release to Giddalur.

The reason he cited was that the canal-bed was dried up for execution of lining works.

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