Step up efforts to store water at Dummugudem anicut: Tummala

Kothagudem: Agriculture Minister Tummala Nageswara Rao directed officials to expedite works to store nearly one TMC of Godavari water at the Dummugudem anicut to meet drinking water requirements during the coming summer amid concerns over the possible impact of El Niño.

The minister inspected the anicut near Ammagaripalli village in Aswapuram mandal along with Bhadrachalam Sub-Collector Mrinal Shrestha and engineering officials on Sunday. He reviewed the ongoing sandbag arrangements and enquired about the inflow and outflow of Godavari. He also travelled by boat towards Dummugudem to assess the situation.

Tummala directed officials to accelerate the works by deploying additional labourers and boats wherever necessary. He asked them to plan for placing 10,000 to 15,000 sandbags daily, with around 1.5 lakh bags required for the proposed storage arrangements.

The plan envisages raising the water level by about one metre using sandbags to facilitate storage of approximately one TMC of water. The minister stressed the need to complete the works promptly and ensure uninterrupted drinking water supply to Bhadrachalam and surrounding areas.

Referring to El Niño-related weather concerns, he called upon people to conserve water and avoid wastage. “Reduced rainfall, declining river flows and limited reservoir storage could increase pressure on groundwater resources, affecting agriculture and drinking water availability,” he said.

The minister advised farmers to plan Rabi cultivation according to available water resources and prioritise less water-intensive crops such as millets, pulses and vegetables. He said measures were being taken to supply water to the Nagarjuna Sagar ayacut through the Rajiv Link Canal and improve storage in Wyra and Lankasagar projects. He also instructed officials to explore filling local tanks to improve groundwater levels and provide water for livestock.

Tummala called for public awareness campaigns on water conservation and asked officials to coordinate preparedness measures at the village level. Rural employment guarantee works, including tank desilting, canal repairs and check-dam construction, should also be prioritised to strengthen water resources, he added.

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The Hans India