Senior leader of the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) and former Minister T. Harish Rao requested Minister for Irrigation N. Uttam Kumar Reddy to pump water from Mid-Manair reservoir, which is being filled with the help of Nandi Medaram and Laxmipur pump houses of the Kaleshwaram project by drawing water from Yellampalli, to Ananthagiri, Ranganayaka, Mallanna and Kondapochammasagar reservoirs.
In a letter addressed to Mr. Reddy on Saturday, the BRS leader said the farmers of ayacut under the Kaleshwaram online reservoirs are waiting with bated breath as to when the government would pump water into them so that they can take up cultivation of kharif crops. Water level in the four online reservoirs of Kaleshwaram project located in Siddipet district had gone down to dead storage.
In the absence of proper rains in the ayacut areas under these reservoirs and the delay in pumping water into them from Mid-Manair Dam, the farming community is unable to decide whether to go for the first crop or not. In August last year, the storage of water in Ananthagirisagar was 3.32 tmc ft, Ranganayakasagar 2.38 tmc ft, Mallannasagar 18 tmc ft and Kondapochammasagar 10 tmc ft. However, it is only 0.75 tmc ft, 0.67 tmc ft, 8.5 tmc ft and 4.5 tmc ft, respectively, now.
The extent of Kharif cultivation had gone down in the areas under these reservoirs this year due to lack of water. He urged the Minister to keep aside politics and pump water from Mid-Manair into the four reservoirs and also release it to canals so that farmers could take up cultivation of the first crop.
Published - August 04, 2024 12:17 am IST
