Renovate tanks to avoid water crisis in Rayalaseema

Anantapur: Restoration and renovation of tanks should be given paramount importance as Rayalaseema region comprising Anantapur, Chittoor, Kadapa and Kurnool districts are not getting more water and equitable distribution is not done, local priorities seem to take precedence over common interests of the area, observed Rayalaseema Irrigation Projects Watch members B Nagendra Prasad, M Suresh Babu and Vaishnava Sreenath in a report submitted to the state government.

The members felt that reservoirs like Tungabhadra and Srisailam dam and several projects to bring water to Kurnool and Anantapur districts, due to lack of unanimity among the Rayalaseema leaders and the will to converge on one project to maintain continuity in its execution and implementation has become a major impediment.

The state governments proposal to widen the HNSS canal carrying capacity to 6,000 cusecs also met with resistance from politicians in Anantapur district looking at the narrow advantages of serving their own constituencies by digging a parallel canal for the HLC.

Politically assertive public representatives have been taking the lion's share of water to their constituencies ignoring the needs of lakhs of other people. The flood irrigation was the worst method of use of available water in the parched lands of Anantapur. An equitable distribution of water for the entire population was possible only if available water was let into village tanks improving the groundwater table for the farmers to draw through 2.5 lakh borewells sunk so far.

The committee regretted that the government by allocating a meagre amount in the budget for pending projects has reflected its neglect of irrigation projects in Rayalaseema. Farmers and other sections of people are annoyed at the allotment and question how the crops can survive without sufficient water.

In the latest budget, the irrigation sector has been completely sidelined. Galeru Nagari project was shelved and works on Handri Neeva were stopped. Irrigation department has not taken care of even a single tank; neither has it taken up any maintenance or repair work.

From March this year, 5 tmc ft from HNSS was supposed to be released into tanks for drinking water needs, but even that has not been done, point out farmers. Some rain-fed crop can be saved during long dry spells in monsoon if the borewells yield water close to tanks and people get sufficient for drinking, saving lakhs of rupees in transportation through tankers.

Incentivisation of millets like Korralu or Foxtail millet, Jowar and others popular in the region would save a lot of costly irrigation water and provide guaranteed remunerative price to the farmers. Committee sought more financing for these crops from the government.