Irrigation works in AP run into rough weather

Meagre budgetary allocation and contractual obligations are said to be plaguing the projects meant to meet the short and long-term water needs of the State

Hyderabad: Fund crunch and contractual obligations have been posing problems in taking up irrigation project works in Andhra Pradesh, according to sources.

The new government has reportedly taken cognizance of the new reality and has asked the officials in the Major and Medium Irrigation departments to redraw its irrigation mapping. Irrigation officials were directed by the State government to classify all irrigation projects conceived under Jala Yagnam program during the YS Rajsekhara Reddy regime, on the basis of priority.

The prioritising of the project should be based on meeting the short-term and long-term irrigation needs of the State, the officials added.

Firstly, though the government orders had come, it did not have sufficient funds to meet the execution of all proposed irrigation projects under Jala Yagnam. Besides, there were also medium and minor irrigation projects specific to meet regional irrigation needs of Rayalaseema, Uttarandhra and Coastal Andhra. The meagre budgetary allocation of Rs 8,465 crore during 2014-15 is reportedly not sufficient to take up even 25 per cent of the existing major, medium and minor irrigation projects under Jala Yagnam programme. On the top of it, there are some projects which are entangled into contractual obligations, burdening the State which has already been facing fiscal deficit.

According to a senior irrigation official, the only way left for the government is first to address the thorny issues like contractual obligations to get rid of unnecessary financial burden. And, to review the project which are conceived on the basis of surplus water without earmarked water allocations. This would be followed with the regional wise irrigation needs of all the three regions in the State, he added.

Once these issues are resolved, the government will be in a position to move forward with a clear picture of prioritising the completion of projects on the basis of short-term and long-term irrigation needs of the State.

Speaking to The Hans India, the State Irrigation Engineering-In-Chief M Venkateswara Rao said that the government had already appointed two expert committees, one for North Coastal Andhra Pradesh, to study the project under Nagavali and Vamsadhara. The North Coastal AP projects waiting for the government nod include Thotapally, Trakaramasagar, Uttarandhra Sujalasravanthi, Thandava, Raivada.

One more committee has been constituted to study the projects under the Godavari and the Krishna basin. Besides, there are also minor irrigation projects like Jhanjavathi, Peddagedda, Vengalaraya Sagar and Thatipudi to name a few, which are waiting for completion as well as a few other projects conceived under Penna delta.

Once the region-wise priority list of irrigation projects are finalised, the State government will approach the Union government to take up the projects under Accelerated Irrigation Benefit Programme (AIBP).

The region wise irrigation expert committees were expected to complete their task by the end of December this year, the officials added.