Frequent repairs to LI pipelines worry farmers

Frequent repairs to LI pipelines worry farmers
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The farmers under Gudem Lift Irrigation Project ayacut, who had completed 75 per cent of paddy transplantation, were worried over crop prospects as the pipeline leakages and repairs to air valves have been hampering water release to rabi crops. 

Luxettipet: The farmers under Gudem Lift Irrigation Project ayacut, who had completed 75 per cent of paddy transplantation, were worried over crop prospects as the pipeline leakages and repairs to air valves have been hampering water release to rabi crops.

Presently, water is being released to the ayacut lands in Dandepalli mandal under the distributary channel 30 to channel 42 from the irrigation scheme. The officials are supposed to provide irrigation facility to 30,000 acres of ayacut lands since December 23 last year, when water release was commenced. But they scaled down the target to provide irrigation facility to over 20,022 acres in Luxettipet, Dandepalli and Hajipur mandals.

But since day one of the water release, LI machines, pumps and pipelines have been posing one problem or the other. The officials were forced to suspend water release to carry on repair works. The lands in Tanimadugu village got irrigation water on the evening of the day of water release.

Chief Executive Planning officer Pentareddy and Yellampalli Irrigation Project Superintending Engineer Prabhakar Reddy on January 5 inspected the lift-irrigation scheme. The very next day, the air valve of the pipeline went out of order, forcing the officials to suspend water release for two days to carryout repairs.

After a week, the pipeline, half-a-km away from the pump house, developed a leak paralysing water supply. On last Sunday night (January 28), a pipeline leak was detected on the outskirts of Rangampalli in Gudem panchayat limits. The authorities have no alternative, except stopping water release to take up repair works.

The ayacut farmers were concerned over the crop prospects as the water supply has been suspended thrice during the past 40 days. They want officials to intervene and ensure that there are no hitches in the water supply.

Sarpanches Forum district working president Gaddam Trimurti alleged that the officials were guilty of dereliction of their duty of maintaining the LI project. Project Executive Engineer Satyaraj Babu told the farmers not to worry over the water supply as repairs to pipeline leakages were being attended on a war-footing.

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