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Farmers urge govt to scale up Jurala storage capacity
The hopes of farmers in the district on the Jurala project seem to be dashed as the State government has not initiated any moves to develop it post-bifurcation though it is a major irrigation source in Telangana now. The project across the Krishna River with 64 crest gates has a storage capacity of 11.5 tmc ft.
During normal times, irrigation water is supplied to 1.25 lakh acres of land through Jurala right and left canals. Water is released downstream when only it receives heavy inflows from the upstream. Besides meeting irrigation and drinking needs of the district, the Jurala project is also generating 234 MW of power through its six units during the Krishna river floods
Mahbubnagar: The hopes of farmers in the district on the Jurala project seem to be dashed as the State government has not initiated any moves to develop it post-bifurcation though it is a major irrigation source in Telangana now. The project across the Krishna River with 64 crest gates has a storage capacity of 11.5 tmc ft. The Krishna River water first reaches Jurala in Telangana from Almatti and Narayanpur dams upstream in Karnataka. According to unofficial figures, the full storage capacity of Jurala project is 16 to 17 tmc ft.
In the undivided Andhra Pradesh, there was a demand for increase in the height of Jurala project to store more water during the floods for irrigation, drinking and other needs. Against its full storage capacity of 11.5 tmc ft, the maximum quantity of water stored during the history of the project was not more than 9 tmc ft, said an irrigation official who refused to be quoted.
At present, the water level in the project reached the dead storage level due to the prolonged dry spell. The accumulation of silt further reduced its storage capacity.
During normal times, irrigation water is supplied to 1.25 lakh acres of land through Jurala right and left canals. Water is released downstream when only it receives heavy inflows from the upstream. Besides meeting irrigation and drinking needs of the district, the Jurala project is also generating 234 MW of power through its six units during the Krishna river floods. The power generated by the units is supplied to Revulapalle first and from there to Veltur and other sub-stations in the district.
It is alleged that the State government failed to pay due attention to the development of Jurala project. Underlining the need to utilise the full potential of Jurala project for the irrigation development of Telangana, Rajasekhara Reddy and Madhusudana Rao of Gadwal demanded that the State government should take up its desiltation to store two to three tmc ft water additionally.
Farmers Thimma Reddy and Lakshman said the government should take measures to store more water in the project in the coming season to meet the irrigation and drinking needs of the district fully. More hydroelectric plants could also be set up to generate additional power during the Krishna floods as the river has 200 km course in the district. Instead of developing the Jurala project post bifurcation in the absence of any restrictions, the TRS government only laid emphasis on supply of its water to Pakala and Dindi, they said.
