No relief in sight for the parched Rayalaseema

“Nature is the fountainhead, the source from whence all originally must spring,” said John Constable. It is unfortunate that the rivers, sources of unity and integrity, have become the dividing lines. Not a day passes without a news on Krishna waters, Srisailam and Pothireddypadu Head Regulator (PRPHR).

Bachawat Tribunal on Krishna Waters Dispute, as agreed upon by the three riparian States of Maharashtra, Karnataka and AP on humanitarian grounds, had allotted 15 tmcft of water to Chennai city for drinking, which has since been reduced to 12 tmcft, giving credit to evaporation and siltation. Accordingly, the work on PRPHR to draw 11,000 cusecs for 45 days during a water year commenced in 1981 when T Anjaiah was the Chief Minister.

It is a travesty of justice that he was not given his due in history. As per the agreement between the Chief Ministers of AP and Tamil Nadu in April, 1983, in order to enable AP to utilise the drinking water enroute and also to make use of the canal to carry water to KC Canal and other supply systems, an open canal, Telugu Ganga Project (TGP), was planned and designed. Accordingly, TGP was commenced in May 1983.

As the flood season may not last the 45 days long duration in all the years, the government resolved to increase the discharging capacity of PRPHR to 40,000 cusecs. Allaying the fears of other regions on December 21, 2005, the then CM, YS Rajasekhara Reddy, said: "Not a drop of the assured water allocated to the Krishna delta, the Nagarjunasagar and other projects would be affected.” This feeder gravity canal, called Srisailam Right Main Canal (SRMC), is divided into four parts at Banakacharla, 17 km downstream of PRPHR.

The maximum flow capacity of the canal is 44,000 cusecs, at full supply level, which has not been utilised since its construction. One branch passing through Velugodu Reservoir supplies, through TGP, drinking water to Chennai city, after a journey of 408 km. Excluding the Chennai Water Supply, the TGP needs 29 tmcft, and SRBC and the GNSSS 38 tmcft.

Two other branches of SRMC are designed to supply waters to Srisailam Right Bank Canal, (SRBC), to the extent of 19 tmcft, and the Galeru Nagari Srujala Sharavanthi Scheme (GNSSS), to the extent of 38 tmcf. In addition, SRMC is intended to divert the Krishna river flood water to Penna river for storage in Somasila and Kandaleru reservoirs situated in Potti Sriramulu Nellore district.

Kurnool Cuddapah (KC) Canal is allotted 39 tmcft of assured water, with a storage capacity of 1.5 tmcft at Sunkesula and another 9 tmcft from the Tungabhadra Dam (TBP). It was suggested to construct a dam at Gundrevula, near Mantralayam to store 20 tmcft. The government had ordered a survey and the estimation was Rs 4,500 crore. However, an irrigation engineering expert Subbarayudu calculated it at Rs 3,000 crore.

The government is not showing any interest in its execution. The lift irrigation, HNSSS, drawing water from Malyala, is conceived to provide irrigation facilities and reliable drinking water supply. It links almost all the rivers and many tanks and reservoirs in the region, and irrigates about six lakh acres in the four districts of Rayalaseema.

For all the above projects, additional requirement is about 50 tmcft. Successive governments, since the Gentlemen's Agreement, Sribagh Pact, assured the Krishna Waters to Rayalaseema. Hence, it is the bounden duty of the AP government to safeguard the interests of drought-stricken region. The average flow per year from the Tungabhadra to the Krishna is about 100 tmcft.

This year, definitely, a deficit one, the Tungabhadra contributed about 60 tmcft and the Handri, 8 tmcft. It should be noted here that the TBP at Hospet does not have surplus this year. Hence no water is let out from it downstream. All the water flown to Srisailam through Tungabhadra is from the Eastern parts of Ballari, Western part of Kurnool and southern part of Jogulamba Gadwal district.

Rayalaseema demands not a single drop more than its contribution to the Krishna River system. Till now about 50 tmcft has been drawn through PRP – possibly a maximum of another 30 tmcft. This includes the 15 tmcft supply to Chennai Water Supply. Somasila too got supplement through TGP. In all, Rayalaseema does not get more than 60 tmcft. This includes the water drawn by the Nagarjuna Power Project which generates 2.5 X 3 = 7.5 MW electricity at the PRPHR.

To avoid grumblings. disputes and litigations, Rayalaseema has been urging the construction of Siddeswaram Project, 15 km downstream of Pothireddypadu, across the Krishna to a level of 860 msl to store about 50 tmcft. It was conceived by Arthur Cotton. Due to pressure from Dr KL Rao, the late MP of Vijayawada, and a Central Minister, it was shelved and Srisailam was executed.

The Hundu on Sept, 20, 2009 reported: "Former Chief Minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy was understood to have ordered investigation into the Siddeswaram weir across the Krishna River, 85 km upstream of Srisailam Reservoir and 45 km downstream of Kurnool.” Man proposes and the God disposes. Tragedy overcame YSR on 2nd Sept, 2009.

However the independent engineer, Subbarayudu, with an amputated leg has been relentlessly making efforts to enlighten the administration and create an awareness among the people with his practical proposals at an estimation of Rs 800 crore for a capacity of 50 tmcft flow to all the canals mentioned above through gravity, in addition to the HNSSS. In addition, the project can generate 89 MW electricity. Further, the distance from both ends to Hyderabad and vice versa will be reduced by 50 km.

Till such time as the Gundrevula and the Siddeswaram are taken up and completed, Rayalaseema must be allowed an uninterrupted supply from Srisailam. There is a precedent. Till the Nagarjunasagar was completed, the Krishna Delta was allotted about 30 tmcft of water from the TBP from 1956 to 69. The Government of Andhra Pradesh has been announcing that Pattiseema is beneficial to Rayalaseema.

Nothing has been translated into action. Being a drought-prone area, the region demands water as a matter of right and not charity. The surplus may be allotted to other regions, which are benefited from other sources also. Quenching the thirst of Rayalaseema, both the land and the population, will be a fitting tribute to all those stalwarts who in the past cooperated with the contemporary administrations all the way for more than two hundred years.

By K C Kalkura