Handri-Neeva Project works to be completed by year-end

Anantapur: The Handri-Neeva Project works are expected to be completed by the end of this year. The Chandrababu Naidu government is determined to complete the two phases of Handri-Neeva Sujala Sravanti (HNSS) works to release water to 500 odd tanks in Seema and also irrigate an ayacut of 3 lakh acres in the district.

• The revised project cost is Rs 11,658. 36 crore
• Already over Rs 9,000 crore has been spent on the project
• Irrigation officials sought release of Rs 2,000 crore in 2018-19 fiscal for completion of the project on a priority basis
• The project will provide water to 500 odd tanks in Seema and irrigation facility to 3.45 lakh acres in Anantapur district
• It is expected to turn barren lands in Anantapur into fertile lands

Chief Engineer of HNSS has been asked to complete the two phases of HNSS project works by the end of the year. Chief Engineer Sudhakar Babu told The Hans India that water to Madakasira branch canal would be supplied by the end of April 2018. Already 235 km of canal works are being executed at a good pace and only 20 km works are pending and it will be completed by April.

Water to Lepakshi and Hindupur will be supplied by March end. Water was released to Kothacheruvu in Puttaparthi. Water will be released Cherlapalle reservoir near Kadiri also to Madanapalle in Chittoor.

The district has presently crop acreage of 2.33 lakh. Water will also be supplied to all the 1200 odd village tanks. As many as 440 tanks were already filled by gravity and another 700 tanks would be filled through lifting water.

Under lift irrigation, 120 tanks have been supplied water. The project when completed would transform the barren lands into fertile lands and drive away drought conditions from the district.

The irrigation officials have asked for Rs 2,000-crore budgetary allocation in 2018-19 fiscal to help complete Handri-Neeva Project on a priority basis.

The revised project cost is Rs 11,658.36 crore. Already over Rs 9,000 crore was spent and release of another Rs 2000 crore by the government would see the project through. Besides irrigating over 6 lakh acres in the Rayalaseema region, it is designed to supply drinking water to about 33 lakh people en route the 565-km long canal system.

The government is keen to complete the project by the end of 2018 as post bifurcation the Rayalaseema region felt isolated and hopeless due to successive years of drought.

The HNSS canal running to a length of 565 km involves lifting of water in 9 stages in phase 1 main canal and 4 stages in phase 2 with a lift height of 368.83 meters, excavation of 5 tunnels and building of 8 reservoirs en route.

The reservoirs include Krishnagiri and Pathikonda reservoirs in Kurnool district and Jeedipalle reservoir in Anantapur district with total storage capacity of 2.973 tmcft of water.

In the second phase Gollapalle, Cherlpalle and Marala reservoirs in Anantapur district, Srinivasapuram reservoir in Kadapa district and Adivipalle reservoir in Chittoor district with a total storage capacity of 6.102 tmc.

Under the ayacut proposals, the project will irrigate 80,000 acres in Kurnool, 3.45 lakh acres in Anantapur, 37,500 acres in Kadapa and 1.4 lakh acres in Chittoor district.

The works of phase-1 were taken up in 23 packages and the main canal works from 3.40 km to 216.300 km up to Jeedipalle reservoir were completed and distributory works are in progress.

Under the phase 1, seven packages are nearing completion while distributory system works are in progress. The phase-2 of the project involves excavation of the main canal to a length of 349 km, 4 lifts of 76 metres height, construction of 5 tunnels, 3 reservoirs on main canal and 2 0thers on branch canal. HNSS main canal covers from 216.300 km to 490.000 km in Anantapur district.

Also 2 branch canals are covered in second phase including Madakasira branch canal and Punganur branch canal. They provide irrigation to 2.27 lakh acres, drinking water to 16 lakh population covering 257 villages in Anantapur district.

The HNSS canal links Handri river, Penna river, Chitravathi river, Papagni river, Mandavya river, Bahuda river, Cheyyeru river, Gargeya river, Vedavati river , Palar river and many other rivers in the Rayalaseema region.

The canal is spread across Kurnool, Anantapur, Kadapa and Chittoor districts. The canal feeds several reservoirs and water tanks in the region. In order to achieve full requirements of drinking and irrigation water of the region, more than 50 tmcft of water is required.

By Ravi P Benjamin