Release of water brings relief to farmers in Telangana

Hyderabad: Bringing big relief to the farmers reeling under El Nino impact, the state government has started releasing available water from several projects for meeting irrigation and drinking water needs at the local level.

Water was released from the Palamuru Rangareddy Lift Irrigation scheme on Wednesday for irrigation in the erstwhile Mahbubnagar district.

Two ‘Bahubali’ motors were operated and water released at the Narlapur reservoir. Water from the Yellampally, Nizam Sagar and Nagarjuna Sagar projects would also be released this week, depending on the availability of water, to protect the standing crops. State Excise and Prohibition Minister Jupally Krishna Rao switched on the motor pumps and released water from the Narlapur reservoir. The released water would cater to the needs of the farmers in his Kollapur Assembly constituency and those in neighbouring Assembly segments in the district. However, the big challenge before the government is to provide irrigation to 4.60 lakh acres under the Mahatma Gandhi-Kalwakurthy Lift Irrigation Scheme, 2 lakh acres through the Nettempadu project, 2 lakh acres through the Bhima project, and 50,000 acres under the Koilsagar project during the Kharif season.

With insufficient water reserves, the Minister said, available water in the projects would be released in a phased manner to ensure the standing crops do not wither, causing loss to the farmers. State Irrigation Department is collecting data about the available water in all projects in the state. Water levels in all projects in the Krishna and Godavari basins are below normal. The current water level in Jurala is 7.32 TMC and its water is being utilised judiciously for drinking purpose and irrigation needs. Water in Pulichintala (28 TMC) and Sagar (188 TMC) would be released in a phased manner for irrigation to save the water-intensive paddy crops in old Nalgonda and part of Khammam districts. Supply of drinking water would also be given priority, keeping in view future needs. Irrigation wing officials said that Nizam Sagar (10 TMC), Sriram Sagar( 42 TMC), Mid Manair(23 TMC), Lower Manair ( 15 TMC) and Sripada Yellampally (18 TMC) would be utilised only upon the recommendation of the Agriculture Department.

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Patan Afzal Babu

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Patan Afzal Babu is an experienced journalist specializing in political and state Administration. With over 20 years of writing expertise, Afzal Babu contributes new content in the areas of politics and administration. Afzal has completed post-graduation from Hyderabad Central University (with a specialization in Journalism). Afzal Babu is an accomplished writer with a passion for writing political news and breaking news. With over 20 years of experience, Afzal honed skills in various genres, including major crime news. Afzal’s diverse family history and embracing cultures have enriched writing with unique perspectives.

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